Viviana Valentine and the ticking clock : a Girl Friday mystery

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Title:

Viviana Valentine and the ticking clock : a Girl Friday mystery

Author:

Edwards, Emily J., author.

Series:

Girl Friday ;

Series Number:

Summary:

New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna have a lot of resolutions for the new year—whether it’s continuing to build up their detective agency or planning their wedding, the two are looking forward to the future. On their way to Times Square to celebrate, the two witness a brutal stabbing. When Tommy tries to chase down the culprit, Viviana tries her best to save the man. She’s unsuccessful, but Viviana hears his final words: a whispered apology to an unknown friend. Clues are hard to come by, with the only leads being the fraught last words and a few nondescript matchbooks in the victim’s overcoat. Their investigation is halted when Detective Jack Lawson of the New York Police Department arrives, immediately ruffling Viviana’s feathers and bumping chests with Tommy, who he nearly arrested for murder just months earlier. The two know there’s more to the story, but there are other pressing matters at hand. Clients are clamoring to get the detectives to work on their cases: a man is being blackmailed by a criminal who only writes in code, Tommy’s old friend needs his fiancée tailed, and an investment banker has mysteriously vanished. To add to their workload, Viviana knows something strange is happening at her boarding house. Will all of this—plus planning for a wedding—be too much for one Girl Friday? -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

258 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Subject Term:

Private investigators -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Missing persons -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Crooked Lane,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781639105229

Publication Information:

New York : Crooked Lane, 2023.

Call Number:

EDWARDS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003680702	Adult Fiction	EDWARDS Emily J.	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
33607003611186	Adult Fiction	EDWARDS Emily J.	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

For fans of Ashley Weaver and Rhys Bowen, when Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna head to Times Square for New Year's Eve, they didn't expect their resolution to involve catching a killer.

New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna have a lot of resolutions for the new year-whether it's continuing to build up their detective agency or planning their wedding, the two are looking forward to the future. On their way to Times Square to celebrate, the two witness a brutal stabbing. When Tommy tries to chase down the culprit, Viviana tries her best to save the man. She's unsuccessful, but Viviana hears his final words- a whispered apology to an unknown friend.

Clues are hard to come by, with the only leads being the fraught last words and a few nondescript matchbooks in the victim's overcoat. Their investigation is halted when Detective Jack Lawson of the New York Police Department arrives, immediately ruffling Viviana's feathers and bumping chests with Tommy, who he nearly arrested for murder just months earlier. The two know there's more to the story, but there are other pressing matters at hand.

Clients are clamoring to get the detectives to work on their cases- a man is being blackmailed by a criminal who only writes in code, Tommy's old friend needs his fiancee tailed, and an investment banker has mysteriously vanished. To add to their workload, Viviana knows something strange is happening at her boarding house. Will all of this-plus planning for a wedding-be too much for one Girl Friday?

Author Notes

Emily J. Edwards earned her degree in writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College and took the long road to becoming an author, working for over a decade as a wine and spirits journalist, radio producer, and podcaster. She currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and several quadrupeds.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The sparkling third installment in Edwards's historical series (after Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River) finds the newly engaged Valentine and her fiancé/investigative partner Tommy Fortuna heading to New York City's Times Square to celebrate New Year's Eve in 1950. On the way, the couple witnesses a brutal stabbing in an alley, with only a pair of discarded matchbooks and the dead man's final words ("Tell Frankie it's okay") to point them toward the culprit. Over the next week and a half, Viviana and Tommy investigate the killing while juggling a trio of other cases involving a cryptic blackmailer, a jealous fiancé, and a missing investment banker. Meanwhile, Viviana learns that her all-women's boarding house is about to close, and discovers key details about Tommy's upbringing and dark recent past that threaten to derail their engagement. Though the mysteries all find satisfying resolution, readers looking for a pacey plot might be disappointed--what they'll find instead, however, is cracking dialogue, well-drawn characters, and vivid evocations of mid-century Manhattan. Fans of Ashley Weaver and Mariah Fredericks should check this series out. Agent: Anne Tibbets, Donald Maass Literary. (Nov.)

Library Journal Review

Set in 1950, with characters as diverse as the New York City setting, is Edwards's latest featuring recently engaged private investigators Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna (following Viviana Goes Up the River). The couple's plans for a New Year's Eve in Times Square take a dive when they witness a brutal murder. They vow to investigate, just in case the police and their sometime nemesis Detective Lawson are in over their heads. Three other cases emerge: a missing banker, an artifact held for ransom, and a longtime friend of Tommy's who asks the pair to tail his fiancée. At the heart of these cases, there is also a tension between Viv and Tommy--their new role as a soon-to-be married couple changes their previous professional relationship. They will have to solve that case too. The novel's sometimes heavy-handed use of late '40s and early '50s vocabulary can wear thin. VERDICT Readers will have no problem jumping right into this hardboiled tale.--Linsey Milillo