Last Call at the Savoy

In Carleton’s breezy debut, an adrift young woman rekindles her sense of purpose after learning about a once-famous bartender who was written out of the history books. When Cinnamon Scott was a college student, her parents both died in a plane crash on the way to visit her. Reeling from grief and guilt, she slipped into a new life as a New York City party girl. Now, her older sister, Rosemary, pleads for her help dealing with a difficult pregnancy in London. Cinnamon agrees, and she finds refuge during her stay at the Savoy Hotel in its famed American Bar, where a bartender regales her with stories about the little-known Ada Coleman, the establishment’s first female head bartender. To Cinnamon’s surprise, a fellow patron and historian has never heard of Ada, which prompts Cinnamon to begin writing a novel about her. The plot feels a bit contrived, and Carleton leans on the supporting characters to drive the action. Better is the depiction of the sisters’ reunion and complex bond: after greeting Cinnamon with “Look what the cat regurgitated,” Rosemary eventually instills in her the confidence she needs to write her novel. This may not belong on the top shelf, but it satisfies nonetheless. Agent: Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rostrosen Agency. (Nov.)