This Dame for Hire

Sandra Scoppettone introduces the reader to Faye Quick and 1940s New York City.  This is an interesting case because it is a historical mystery attempting to replicate the hard boiled style of Dashell Hammett or Raymond Chandler.  The book is definitely more successful at the former, no one would mistake it as actually having been written in the 40s; Scoppettone tries too hard for it to ring true.  At times the constant use of ya instead of you was annoying but in general it was a fun read.

Faye Quick is a pretty likable character (if you can get past someone who says lotta a lot) and New York during WWII is interesting.  The setting was pretty vivid (much stronger than the narration or dialog) and it is clear that the book is well researched.  These moments of historical wartime provide pockets of time where some women were permitted into new roles and many historical mysteries exploit these eras to justify characters that exist outside of the norm; Scoppettone does this exceedingly well and the characters and story are believable, even if the language is not.

Like many noir tales (and cozies for that matter), the story revolves around personal scandals and intrigue, characters are seldom all that they seem, the private dick perseveres, and there is room for a little romance.  As i said, this was a fun and quick read.  It did make me think about situations where the majority of the population is of one gender but, beyond that, it can not be said that the book is particularily thought provoking, but that is OK.  There was one plot device that I cannot stand: a psychic!  I think that is cheating and lazy but the book is not out to win any awards, just entertain so I will let it slide this time.  I am glad that there are so many different kinds of books even within my fairly restricted sub genre and I will look out for more about this dame Faye Quick.

Murder in Little Italy

Murder in Little Italy is the 8^th book in Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series featuring Sarah Brandt, a midwife in turn of the last century New York City. I have read books from this series in the past and I really love the characters and the setting. Thompson’s books are filled with complex and interesting characters and stories that take place outside the luxury of the elite worlds so often portrayed in historical novels.

Sarah Brandt is one of my favorite protagonists; she is smart, independent and caring and has dedicated her life to working with marginalized women. In many ways she defies the norm of the glamorous women often written about, while perfectly fitting into the mold as a member of one of New York’s most prominent families. This rejection of class and gender roles seems to be an important theme in many of the books I read and the Gaslight Mysteries are no exception.

Thompson also did a terrific job bringing the reader into the dark and dirty streets of New York through well researched and interesting details. The creation of a robust setting is the real accomplishment of this book and the author’s love of history is clear and enjoyable to read. Thompson manages to weave details about daily life, especially in terms of child birth, into the story without the reader feeling lectured or bored. This book takes us into Little Italy and highlights the waves of Italian and Irish immigrants into NYC at the time and their relationship with Tammany Hall, which was notoriously corrupt.

It is a good thing that the characters and setting are so well written because the story is lacking in complexity; I guessed the major secret of the book within the first 20 pages and I knew who the murderer was a good 100 pages before s/he was revealed. This is pretty ridiculous and I admit to being a bit frustrated but I still liked the book, and I have enjoyed others in the series, so I can still strongly recommend this book to those interested in a dynamic cast of characters and a compelling location.