Hooked me from the start with the reference to the DeSoto. The time/place references are enough to evoke the past, but never claustrophobically so.

The characterization was really good, the plot a little less so, in that it dragged--for me--for about the middle third of the book.

Overall, I'd recommend the book as a good read.

I just love this series! Read it in black and white for the complete experience!

Maggie Sullivan is employed by two sisters to determine what happened to their father in the Dayton flood of 1913, over 26 years ago. Then her life gets complicated.

Maggie Sullivan, a Depression-era P.I., is hired to assist two sisters their father's so-called death. The two spinsters claim he disappeared twenty-six years before during the Dayton flood of 1913. Just as she takes on the case, the prime suspect commits suicide and Maggie is called before the police chief, who could revoke her license, to warn her that she has complaints about her from City Hall. As As Maggie pursues the case which has been all but been obliterated by the passage of time, she finds herself mixed up with ambitious politicians, thugs, and plenty of secrets and crimes from the past.

I've always enjoyed noir with a tough-talking private investigator and Don't Dare a Dame by M. Ruth Myers is no exception. This novel is bursting with atmosphere and everything I love about the genre. I completely agree with the main character's nickname, "Sam Spade in a skirt". I could really root for her character - she one smart-mouthed, tough, and clever sleuth. The setting's also one of note for me as it's set in my home state, and I've always been fascinated by the era. Myers does a fantastic job of making everything come together. I believe I'll have to try the first two books in the series, No Game For a Dame and Tough Cookie.