This is a thoroughly enjoyable novella set in Seattle during Prohibition.  Magic is practiced and, in some cases, regulated; but there are those who'd like to see magic legislated away just like hooch (period term for booze).

The story is laid out with an opening scene that is obviously also the closing scene.  We then see a non-linear telling of how everyone got to that point.  The author generously supplies the timeline at the beginning of a section or chapter and I found it easy to navigate.  I can see how some might feel confusion and frustration trying to get the story straight in their heads but I thought it contributed to the flavor and charm of the story.  Although, I will say that I thought some of the chapter breaks were peculiar and seemed random; the three parts that she used seemed rather inconsequential to me, mostly due to the chaotic timeline.

Dolly is newly arrived in Seattle and brings with her a recommendation to a wealthy family looking for a companion. The daughter, who is to be married soon, is proving an embarrassment to her wealthy father due to her drinking and drug habit.  He hires Dolly to chaperone Fiona until the wedding.  Fiona's father is the Commissioner of Magi and Fiona's brother, Francis, is part of a militant order that suppresses undesirable magic - particularly that of shape-shifters.  Francis is also a rather unpleasant person in his own right.

Also on the table is an herbalist, with no magic of her own, her brother, a shape-shifter, and his lover, a tattooist with magic needles; Phillippe and Gabriel.  The herbalist, Violet, runs the speakeasy that Fiona frequents.  She is also very wary of the militants who target her brother just because he shapeshifts. In addition, there is a man with a dead niece who wants vengeance but can't do it on his own.

Dolly, of course, is anything but a simple lady's companion and she came to town with an agenda.  She'd always been the type of woman who could improvise with the best of them but for a straight-forward grift as she had planned, it's gotten very complicated and has evolved to include way more players that she's comfortable with.  But, she reasons, all of them have interrelated reasons which might actually work to her benefit; if she can keep them all focused on the prize.

If the story had been told in a linear fashion, it might have been pretty ordinary.  I really liked how we started thinking we knew a character only to be given more information of their past that defined them very differently.  Although the title and synopsis promises that everyone gets their "comeuppance", I was happy to root for the thieves, grifters and down-on-their-luck little people to win.

I was also delighted to learn the meaning of the title in the last chapter; it helped tie everything up and yet opened the door for more adventures with Dolly.  I totally recommend this story.  ~~ Catherine Book