Title:

Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man

Author:

Emily J. Edwards

Category:

Mystery / Thriller

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

May 15, 2023

he Bookpage review for Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man made it sound like a really fun book to read. But my opinion, upon finishing it, is that it was just okay. The novel ends in classic Agatha Christie style - the detective, Viviana, calls all the characters into a room, and then proceeds to explain who-dunnit and why. This was the best part of the book, because up until the ending, I was left puzzled as to what exactly was the crime that Viviana was investigating. Not only does this final setting reveal the perpetrator(s), but it also explains to the reader how the series of seemingly unconnected events indicate criminal activity. Throughout the book, the reader observes mysterious events: someone breaks into Viviana's room and ransacks the place, someone puts a kibosh to the skull of a stranger in Tommy's office, Tommy has gone missing days and is out of contact - how do all of these events events tie into a cohesive plot?

Viviana officially works as the secretary for Tommy Fortuna, the best Private Investigator in 1950s New York City, but she acts more a junior investigator than a filing clerk. One day, Mr Tallmadge Blackstone strolls into Tommy's office and hires Tommy to track his daughter. Blackstone is one of the wealthiest men in all of New York, and his daughter, the impossibly beautiful Tallulah Blackledge, is betrothed to a man 40 years her senior. Tallulah is unhappy with the proposed marriage, so Mr Blackledge wants Tommy to discover if his daughter is seeing someone on the sly. Should be straightforward job, right? Well, it wouldn't be much of a story if things didn't go cattywampus. Arriving at the office one morning, Viviana opens the door to find a man lying on the floor with his skull caved in. Even worse, Tommy has gone missing - which immediately makes him the primary suspect in the eyes of detective Lawson. Viviana must take on Tommy's case, and figure out what is going on before Tommy takes the fall for a crime that Viviana is sure he didn't commit.

Many of the reviews for Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man remark about how fun the lead character is, with her witty voice and take charge attitude. The novel is set in the 1950s, when women were supposed to be subordinate to men, but Viviana demands to be treated like an equal; a detective as good as any man. Clothing is frequently mentioned, Viviana often describes for the reader what she is wearing, and the story also details the outfits the other characters are wearing. I have no idea what a pencil skirt is, but it seems to have been a popular item back then. I didn't find Viviana particularly witty.

The best part about the novel is that Viviana lives in a New York boarding house with several other single women. One is a model (Phyllis), another is a teacher (Dotty), and the third is a nurse (Betty). These women form a team, helping out Viviana (their professions conveniently provide Viviana with just the right contacts and expertise that she needs during the course of her investigation.) I also thought that the rich debutante, Tally Blackledge, was an interesting character. The story arc of when Tally and Viviana visit Coney Island seemed more interesting than some of the criminal drama.

In the end, Viviana deduces an awful lot from overhearing the word "Yangoon". And how does Tommy know to return to the office at precisely that time, bringing Sandy with him? Why did Mr Blackstone hire Tommy in the first place? I am not a big fan of the explanation of all of the various events described in the novel. It seemed like random stuff was happening, and Viviana was puzzled by it, until suddenly at the end she explained everything. There didn't seem to be a process where by the reader watches Viviana piece together clues to solve the case.

Ultimately, I thought that this was an okay book, but I am not interested in looking for the second book in the Girl Friday series, Viviana Valentine Goes Up River.