The Last Drop of Hemlock

Vivian and Florence Kelly are two Irish sisters who work for a seamstress during the day in 1920s New York City. Vivian feels lucky to waitress several nights a week at her favorite underground jazz club, the Nightingale. But when whispers of suicide go through the club one evening, Vivian will once again be caught up in a murder investigation. A new bouncer, Pearlie, is dead. Pearlie’s niece, the club’s singer Bea, can’t believe it’s suicide. Bea turns to her best friend Vivian for help. They find a bottle that the coroner says was laced with arsenic. They also find a note. Pearlie isn’t the only one in their poor neighborhood to get a note, but the others threaten neighbors unless they turn over a cherished possession—a necklace, a pair of candlesticks, etc. When Florence receives a threatening note, Vivian turns to friends at the Nightingale for help. She’ll do anything to protect her sister, even dealing with powerful mob bosses or crooked cops.