Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jones debuts with an arresting if overstuffed historical mystery that follows a Women's Army Auxiliary commander as she tracks down a killer during WWII. In 1943, 29-year-old Dottie Lincoln is attending a dance thrown by the Auxiliary at an Algerian opera house. While dodging advances from lecherous soldiers and attempting to round up her squad--the first group of women assigned to a combat theater--Dottie defuses a confrontation between one of her charges, Ruth Wentz, and Ruth's pushy dance partner, U.S. Army private Carlos Rivera. After successfully intervening, Dottie heads outside to meet with her captain, and the sound of a body hitting the pavement catches their attention. The dead woman turns out to be Ruth. Army officers speculate the incident was a suicide, but Dottie believes Ruth was murdered--possibly by Rivera--and launches an investigation. Jones soars when cataloging the sexist forces pushing against Dottie and her squad, and Dottie makes for an appealing, three-dimensional protagonist. The plotting gets crowded, however, with Dottie's attempts to disentangle herself from her German husband and reunite with her daughter. Still, a sequel would be welcome. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT In 1943, Dottie Lincoln is one of a small group of Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) stationed in Algiers during the North Africa campaign. They're assigned to office work to free men up for combat duty. Although they are in constant danger, the women lack the rank, pay, benefits, and respect that the soldiers receive. As squad leader, Dottie is determined to watch over her team, even on nights they're required to attend dances to boost army morale. She steps in when a soldier gets fresh with Ruth Wentz. But she takes her duty to her squad more seriously when she sees Ruth fall from the third floor of the Algiers Opera House. Captain Devlin of the military police is ready to call it suicide, but Dottie insists Ruth was murdered. The two are given three days to investigate, but Dottie's past intrudes. Before she can find a killer, she has to prove she isn't a German spy. VERDICT The characters need further development in this debut, but Jones excels at the vivid descriptions of Algiers during World War II. Readers interested in the roles of women and an atmospheric story set in a less-discussed theater of war will be fascinated by the details.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Risking her own reputation, a WAAC squad leader in World War II turns investigator to avenge a colleague. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the allied forces in North Africa, has followed up his November 1943 invasion with the first-ever assignment of women soldiers to a combat region, albeit in "rear-echelon positions." Despite the shadow of war, spirits are high at a military dance in the Algiers Opera House, as squad leader Dottie Lincoln watches over her WAACs like a mother hen. But the night ends tragically. Brought outside by a scream, revelers discover the body of WAAC Ruth Wentz sprawled on the pavement in a pool of her own blood. Dottie's superior, Captain Devlin, rules it a tragic suicide. But could Ruth have jumped to her death? Dottie, who narrates in a crisp and upbeat first person, isn't so sure and successfully presses Devlin to investigate. When he falters in the face of pushback from his commanding officers, Dottie feels compelled to look into the case on her own. Jones' debut novel often has the flavor of wartime Hollywood movies, complete with a cadre of savvy military gals, each with her own backstory. Deftly handled and equally compelling is the often subtle misogyny and sexism Dottie and her squad face. The rumor that Dottie's a German spy, cleverly planted by the killer, slows but doesn't stop her investigation. A highlight of her twisty probe is an ambush at the infamous Casbah, which is strictly off limits to the soldiers. Appropriately, Ike makes a cameo appearance. A solid whodunit built around an important historical footnote. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
