EVERYTHING GLITTERED

A Prohibition-era murder mystery with queer coming-of-age themes.

Gertie is a senior at the Washington Female Seminary, a finishing school for the daughters of political bigwigs located in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle. One night, alongside her friends Milly and Clara, Gertie sneaks out to a speak-easy, which is promptly raided by officers from the dry squad. The girls escape, and when they return to the seminary, they find that their beloved headmistress, Mrs. Rose, is dead, reportedly from consuming liquor tainted with poisons by federal agents to discourage drinking. Now the seminary may be closed due to the scandal, and Gertie is determined to clear Mrs. Rose’s reputation and save her school. The streets of the nation’s capital in 1927 come alive through Talley’s well-researched descriptions. Gertie and her friends navigate streetcars, cabs, and wintry walks while trailing a slew of mysterious characters across historic neighborhoods. Amid these investigations, Gertie often finds herself distracted; she can’t help contemplating the behaviors of certain speak-easy patrons, the so-called pansies and violets. Perhaps more distracting are Milly and Clara, the friends Gertie has suddenly realized are both quite alluring. Fans of Talley’s lesbian histories will enjoy her latest, and the page-turning mystery will appeal to new readers. Most characters are white; the story explores Clara’s Jewish identity in a predominantly Christian environment.

A compelling mystery grounded in a well-developed setting.