A review by fiction_aficionado
The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Rachel Scott McDaniel has created an immersive read for lovers of 1920s settings, drawing readers into Vera Pembroke’s world from the opening line. What’s more, she recreates the atmosphere of speakeasies and the criminal underworld without leaving readers feeling like they’ve been mired in it themselves. Vera’s voice and attitude not only evoke the hardscrabble world she inhabits but showcase her resiliency and hint at the pain and insecurity lying beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Mick is her gruff but honourable counterpart, working to close down the only way of life Vera knows.

The story is laced with suspense from the get-go, and that suspense is a constant throughout the story, either simmering in the background or surging to the fore depending on what’s happening at the time. Another constant throughout the story is the sparks between Vera and Mick—both from their budding attraction and their fraying tempers! But amidst all that sparking and suspense is the story of a woman who discovers she is not beyond the reach of God’s love.

While there is suspense throughout the book (particularly in relation to Vera’s safety) there isn’t a great deal of focus on solving the mystery of who committed the murder Vera witnessed or why, so in that sense, this story is likely to satisfy readers looking for historical romance rather than historical mystery.

I received a copy of this novel through JustRead Publicity Tours. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.