This audiobook was a lovely surprise for me to listen to this week. A big thanks to McMillan audio for bringing it across my radar, because this is not an author that I had been familiar with previously. It’s a raucous adventure, with a hot mess, female main character named Dahlia. She’s just been left by her boyfriend Joey of three years, who split with the rent money. She performs regularly at a dive bar on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, where she grew up. She hasn’t seen her mother since she was six years old.
She finds the tavern endearing, along with the barflies she all lovingly refers to as Jim. It’s owned by her pseudo father Alex McPhee. Soon there is a dead body, and her mother shows up out of the blue. Not only that but a woman who claims to be her mother‘s daughter, and hence, Dahlia’s half sister comes looking for her the next day.
I’m a big fan of mysteries, and I found this one to be a real breath of fresh air. I loved the setting of downtown Chicago, and the fact that the main character was not a suburban, middle-aged lady. Far from a police procedural, this book is way more country and rock ‘n’ roll. I was genuinely surprised at most of the twists which came at really great intervals. I went into this book with really low expectations, but figured I’d give it a chance because I liked the cover. This may just end up being one of my favorite mysteries this year.
I also thought the audio performance was excellent, I found the narrator to be very engaging and well acted. It was easy to follow on audio.
Thank you again to McMillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC. Book to be published January 5, 2026.
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