In her second adventure (after last year’s This Dame For Hire), Faye is up to her eyeballs in clients. Solving a murder got her name in the papers, and the free advertising has been keeping her busy. While she should turn this latest dame down, she can’t say no when she hears Claire Turner’s sob story. Claire is young, pretty and worried about her soldier boyfriend, Charlie Ladd, who is in town on leave. Seems Charlie has disappeared and Claire wants Faye to find him.

What Faye finds is a dead body in Charlie’s hotel room. So who’s the body and where is Charlie Ladd?

Scoppettone’s series puts the wisecracking Gal Friday in the spotlight and features the intriguing backdrop of New York City during World War II. Faye ruined her last pair of nylons, sugar is being rationed, the guy who owns her favorite diner hasn’t been the same since his brother was killed in Europe, and everybody smokes because nobody knows about lung cancer. These are little touches that add flavor to the mystery, and really showcase the story as something different from the norm.

The mystery here is very good. While I enjoyed Scoppettone’s first novel, Too Darn Hot features more twists and Faye is constantly pounding the pavement. Just when the reader thinks they have all the facts, the author throws another curve ball into the mix making the situation thornier for our girl. It all hums along at a good clip, and while this reviewer did work out some of the logistics, the author ties everything up in a satisfying conclusion reminiscent of a crime noir film.

The writing style is fast with dialogue and one-liners zinging by at a good clip. Faye is a New York gal; so expect her dialogue to reflect that. “Ya” instead of “you” and dropped g’s litter the narrative – talkin’ instead of talking for instance. This style will flow for some readers more than others, but it is a style very much within the time period with lots of great 1940s slang along the way.

Faye is one heck of a gal, and this is really a unique series that should garner attention among readers looking for something a little different. Scoppettone has an extensive backlist in the genre - here’s hoping she continues to write about Faye and that the war lasts long enough for our girl to have many more interesting cases.

--Wendy Crutcher