A Devious Dame
It's early spring in 1948 when private eye, Max Dexter, attempts to help a young boy abandoned by his mother. Her name is Ida Lucas and she's a doozy: sleek and ambitious, Ida is a hostess at the classy Royal Connaught Hotel where she's often seen in the company of Hamilton's well-to-do gents who are anxious to show their appreciation for her attention.
After Ida's abrupt disappearance, Max and his partner, Isabel O'Brien, make arrangements for Ida's neglected young son to live with friends while they attempt to find his mother. At the same time they're investigating a divorce case involving a prominent Hamilton businessman and race-horse owner whom they learn is leading a secret, after-hours life that brings them all into contact with the city's new mob boss, Vincenzo Belcastro.
Post-war Hamilton is in the grip of Spring Fever while Max and Isabel are on the case of this Devious Dame.
The Max Dexter Mystery Series includes: A Private Man (2012), A Deadly Venture (2014), A Family Matter (2017) and A Devious Dame (2019).
Canadian thriller to ward off December chills:
Margaret Cannon, Special to the Globe and Mail (Canada)
Published December 10, 2019
A DEVIOUS DAME, CHRIS LAING
"I couldn't find a print edition of this terrific little historical mystery but fans shouldn't sniff at the e-book. The year is 1948 and the place is Hamilton, Ont. The world is buzzing with postwar prosperity and private detective Max Dexter and his partner, Isabel O'Brien, are busy with divorces and searches when an abandoned boy turns up. Can the couple find the kid's mother? Laing has a deft ear for forties lingo and a great eye for the small details that make a historical novel truly great. Anyone from Hamilton will get a kick out of the old places and names along with the really solid historical feel. If you like this one, there are three more earlier Max Dexters also available from Amazon."
Genre: Mystery
It's early spring in 1948 when private eye, Max Dexter, attempts to help a young boy abandoned by his mother. Her name is Ida Lucas and she's a doozy: sleek and ambitious, Ida is a hostess at the classy Royal Connaught Hotel where she's often seen in the company of Hamilton's well-to-do gents who are anxious to show their appreciation for her attention.
After Ida's abrupt disappearance, Max and his partner, Isabel O'Brien, make arrangements for Ida's neglected young son to live with friends while they attempt to find his mother. At the same time they're investigating a divorce case involving a prominent Hamilton businessman and race-horse owner whom they learn is leading a secret, after-hours life that brings them all into contact with the city's new mob boss, Vincenzo Belcastro.
Post-war Hamilton is in the grip of Spring Fever while Max and Isabel are on the case of this Devious Dame.
The Max Dexter Mystery Series includes: A Private Man (2012), A Deadly Venture (2014), A Family Matter (2017) and A Devious Dame (2019).
Canadian thriller to ward off December chills:
Margaret Cannon, Special to the Globe and Mail (Canada)
Published December 10, 2019
A DEVIOUS DAME, CHRIS LAING
"I couldn't find a print edition of this terrific little historical mystery but fans shouldn't sniff at the e-book. The year is 1948 and the place is Hamilton, Ont. The world is buzzing with postwar prosperity and private detective Max Dexter and his partner, Isabel O'Brien, are busy with divorces and searches when an abandoned boy turns up. Can the couple find the kid's mother? Laing has a deft ear for forties lingo and a great eye for the small details that make a historical novel truly great. Anyone from Hamilton will get a kick out of the old places and names along with the really solid historical feel. If you like this one, there are three more earlier Max Dexters also available from Amazon."
Genre: Mystery
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Chris Laing's A Devious Dame