A vacation to St. Petersburg for Cornelia Pettijohn, her uncle Percival, and fellow war nurse, Teddy Lawless, takes a turn for the worse when Teddy runs into her ex-fiance and promptly wallops him. That action among other reasons is why she becomes the prime suspect when the man turns up murdered a few days later. While his family plots against Teddy, it is up to Cornelia and Percival to track down the real killer.

Roaring Twenties historical fiction is a favorite of mine. It is the time when the rules for proper behavior began to be challenged and in many cases ignored. This showed most in women’s fashions and their push for independence from their families. There are wonderful examples of this in all of the main characters in this story. You have party girl Teddy who is no longer a girl contrasted with her more staid friend who would love to be so free but can’t quite bring herself there. There are also the Stevens girls, who despite a domineering father are pushing to make their own choices.

Descriptions of 1920’s St. Petersburg and its surroundings along with the upscale seaside hotel, The Vinoy, as a backdrop for the story become almost characters in the story themselves. The spirit of building a new community comes thru superbly and I enjoyed the trips around town almost as much as solving the mystery.

I haven’t read the first book, but it is obvious that Cornelia and Teddy have a shared history and are quite close. This read well as a stand-alone. I am looking forward to further installments in this series.
( )