A .38, a nip of gin and sensational legs get Depression-era private investigator Maggie Sullivan out of most scrapes – until a stranger threatens to bust her nose, she’s hauled in on suspicion of his murder and she finds herself in the cross-hairs of a crime boss with connections at City Hall.Moving through streets where people line up at soup kitchens, Maggie draws information from sources … sources others overlook: The waitress at the dime store lunch counter where she has breakfast; a ragged newsboy; the other career girls at her rooming house.
Her digging gets her chloroformed and left in a ditch behind the wheel of her DeSoto. She makes her way to an upscale bordello and gets tea – and information – from the madam herself.
A gunman puts a bullet through Maggie’s hat. Her shutterbug pal on the evening paper warns her off. A new cop whose presence unsettles her thinks she’s crooked. Before she finds all the answers she needs, she faces a half-crazed man with a gun, and a far more lethal point-blank killer.
If you like Robert B. Parker’s hard boiled Spencer series and strong women sleuths, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind Ohio detective from a time in United States history when dames wore hats — but seldom a Smith & Wesson.
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I really like the moxy in Maggie (the main character). I love to read about strong and gutsy women, especially back in time when it was really frowned upon appealed to me. It was hard to put this book down until I was finished. Reminded me of my gutsy Aunt with the foul mouth. Absolutely recommend reading this for a fun romp with a female …
Enjoyed it. Good character. Interesting setting. The plot was a good one and fit well with the characters and times….page turner.
Set in the depression era the main character is a female PI with close ties to some of the police force and not so close to other officers. It was a kick to see what life was like at that time and the attitudes are a little hard to take for a modern worman reader.. It’s amazing what the police could get away with. Though I may be naive in some …
This was a great book and fun read. It is set in the 1940’s where women aren’t supposed to be independent, but the main character is a woman and independent. There is a bit of a back story, which is a good thing. I an looking forward to reading more by this author.
Maggie is a girl who grew up with cops and hangs out with cops, but she’s a private eye and her loyalty is to her clients, even when she doesn’t like them. A trail of bodies and a string of robberies are something she’ll find the connections to, as she’s threatened and has her office busted up. A tough dame and a good read.
I don’t read much historical fiction, but I can definitely seeing myself reading more after finishing this book. The characters were great, the story clever, and the plot just as intriguing as any other mystery novel set in the modern day
It’s a fun view of a woman’s “place” in society at the time. It’s also a fun little murder mystery.
Mostly kept with the period in which it was taking place. Murder was fairly easy to determine.
I have enjoyed this series taking place in an earlier age where female PI”s were few. Continuing characters help the stories along as well.
I liked it. Easy reading, but well done.
I enjoyed the detective flair of the “noire” genre. Maggie is a woman ahead of her time in the era of gangland fiefdoms. I also appreciated that it was not gruesome. Murder mayhem can be entertaining in fiction!
I enjoyed the characters in this book The plot was good. It was fun.
Film noir on a page.
This was so unpredictable I was thinking something was going to happen then it went a different way and it was like wow this is so cool great book
Fast moving action with great characters
How do u read it
When I started reading I wasn’t at all sure I would enjoy this book, but it built momentum as it went on and I ended up really liking it.
Well written historical fiction.
Love the Maggie Sullivan books
Just because it took place in the 1930s, it shouldn’t sound like it was written then. Did women really call other women “dames”?