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vlreid's review
4.0
Viviana Valentine is a street-smart secretary (Girl Friday) to Tommy Fortuna, the best private investigator in the city. The time is 1950, the place is New York City. Their agency has just been hired by one of the city's richest men to investigate his daughter. Everything goes south when Tommy goes missing, an unidentified man is found unresponsive on their office floor, and Viviana is followed and attacked. She must use her own powers of deduction to help the local police officers solve their current case.
Viviana is such an interesting character, and definitely able to hold her own as a private investigator. She's spunky and has a terrific sense of humor. She lives in a Chelsea women's boarding house, and her roommates and house mother play a role in this book.
It's what I would call 'book noir,' and the reader really gets the flavor of 1950s NYC through the dialog, characters, and description of the setting. Highly recommended for a quick, entertaining read, and I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in this series!
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
Viviana is such an interesting character, and definitely able to hold her own as a private investigator. She's spunky and has a terrific sense of humor. She lives in a Chelsea women's boarding house, and her roommates and house mother play a role in this book.
It's what I would call 'book noir,' and the reader really gets the flavor of 1950s NYC through the dialog, characters, and description of the setting. Highly recommended for a quick, entertaining read, and I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in this series!
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
karlybug's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was fine. I enjoyed the setting; I love a hard-boiled detective novel or film noir-esque style, and I love the idea of doing it with a female detective, but I think the most telling thing about this is that I can barely remember anything that happened. Viviana is less a character and more an archetype; she speaks almost like a caricature. Still, the mystery was fun enough, and the audiobook was fairly engaging. Not sure I would've made it through were I reading a hard copy.
baronvonwaffle's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
elothwen's review against another edition
5.0
This was so much fun. Viviana was great, spunky and smart, and the cast of characters were all nicely fleshed out. The actual friendships between Viviana and Mrs. K's girls were fantastic; we need more female friendships in historical fiction! The mystery itself was fine, but I felt a little lost sometimes as it suddenly ran ahead with finding things out; but maybe that was just Viviana's personality running away from me. I was put off by the writing in 1950s noir-style at first but I quickly got used to it and even started loving it (I love it in the movies). The time period and setting felt authentic and immersive, and I can't wait to read the next book once I get through the rest of my borrowed novels.
Spoiler
Same goes for her and Tally. BTW, I was totally feeling the gayness already...too bad VV obviously gets with Tommy. Or maybe not...? I'm so glad Tally is sticking around, too, even if it's a bit unrealistic. Tossing Leary aside so easily at the end there was fun for a red herring on the hair clip, but sad for the potential romance/friendship. Oh well.allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man is a fast-paced PI mystery where a plucky secretary contends with an investigation on her own. Viviana discovers a man injured and unresponsive in their office after her boss disappears on a job. At first, she sticks to her normal duties, preparing things for Tommy's return. But when the cops suspect him of committing the crime and a wealthy client summons Viviana for an update on their latest case, she can't help but step in and use all the skills she's picked up to investigate on her own.
I appreciated the way the book brings 1950 New York City to life, a time period I don't read enough about. From the lingo to the details of setting the scene, the author helps you picture our characters' realities. There are also nods to historical events that are current to our characters, though I felt these references lacked nuance or critical thought at times. For example, Viviana's client made his money in diamonds after inheriting money from cotton. And while she's critical of the wealth gap he exacerbates, we're not going to talk about race? Especially with those particular industries? Ok. Discussions about conflict in SE Asia say nothing about colonialism, instead keeping things vague about what a "mess" everything is. And who's fault is that exactly? There's also a touch of conversation about gay experiences at the time with reference to the lavender scare, but it feels a bit stilted like checking a box. One area that felt more natural was the author's embedded emphasis on New York's cultural and ethnic diversity as Viviana meets all kinds of people on her adventures.
I appreciate the book's lack of infodump, but sometimes a plot point or character lacked depth in important moments, presumably to keep things fast-paced. The plus side of the speed is that it keeps you from dwelling too much on any particular clue that could spoil the mystery. The lack of character depth was a particular disappointment for me as it concerns Viviana and the other girls in the boarding house where she resides. Their bonds are a bright spot in the book, and I would have liked to feel like I know them all a bit better and got to see more of their dimensions. The hinted future romance between Viviana and Tommy was less impressive, but at least it's not a major factor, what with Tommy galavanting off-page for most of the book.
This book is a fun period mystery with a vivacious setting and a fun heroine. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in fast pacing and a satisfying conclusion. I would continue the series just to see how things develop between Viviana and her fellow boarders/impromptu investigators. Thanks to Crooked Lane for my copy to read and review!
I appreciated the way the book brings 1950 New York City to life, a time period I don't read enough about. From the lingo to the details of setting the scene, the author helps you picture our characters' realities. There are also nods to historical events that are current to our characters, though I felt these references lacked nuance or critical thought at times. For example, Viviana's client made his money in diamonds after inheriting money from cotton. And while she's critical of the wealth gap he exacerbates, we're not going to talk about race? Especially with those particular industries? Ok. Discussions about conflict in SE Asia say nothing about colonialism, instead keeping things vague about what a "mess" everything is. And who's fault is that exactly? There's also a touch of conversation about gay experiences at the time with reference to the lavender scare, but it feels a bit stilted like checking a box. One area that felt more natural was the author's embedded emphasis on New York's cultural and ethnic diversity as Viviana meets all kinds of people on her adventures.
I appreciate the book's lack of infodump, but sometimes a plot point or character lacked depth in important moments, presumably to keep things fast-paced. The plus side of the speed is that it keeps you from dwelling too much on any particular clue that could spoil the mystery. The lack of character depth was a particular disappointment for me as it concerns Viviana and the other girls in the boarding house where she resides. Their bonds are a bright spot in the book, and I would have liked to feel like I know them all a bit better and got to see more of their dimensions. The hinted future romance between Viviana and Tommy was less impressive, but at least it's not a major factor, what with Tommy galavanting off-page for most of the book.
This book is a fun period mystery with a vivacious setting and a fun heroine. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in fast pacing and a satisfying conclusion. I would continue the series just to see how things develop between Viviana and her fellow boarders/impromptu investigators. Thanks to Crooked Lane for my copy to read and review!
keeltrice's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I highly enjoyed this book. It has an old timey detective/film noir vibe. Set in 1950s New York with the lead character, a female, solving a mystery with the help of her fellow female roommates. She works for a PI but he is missis so she must do it without him for the first time.
The story sets itself in the 50s with excellent use of lingo and styles. The writing also is humorous at times. I jumped right into reading the second book in the series after finishing this one.
I can’t wait for lore stories by Emily J. Edwards.
The story sets itself in the 50s with excellent use of lingo and styles. The writing also is humorous at times. I jumped right into reading the second book in the series after finishing this one.
I can’t wait for lore stories by Emily J. Edwards.
madilee8's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5