Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man by Emily J. Edwards. When a private investigator looking into the affairs of a diamond heiress disappears right after a badly beaten and comatose man is found in his office, it is up to his secretary to solve the crime, clear his name, and tie up all the loose ends the investigation has frayed. Not exactly a playfair mystery, but close enough, the novel has a multi-layered mystery and an interesting cast of characters. One quibble might be that the relationship between the P.I.s and the cops seems a little too pat; it seems unlikely for the police to accept the say-so of an untested detective and call together the suspects for a Nero-Wolfe-esque denouement in the office.
Edwards creates real sense of place in her depiction of 1950 New York, although the period vernacular can sometimes be laid on a bit to thick and verge on parody, to wit: "Just a small-potatoes gangster whose plans were messed up when a lady kicked him to the curb after he tried to give her a five-finger explanation during a minor dustup." Quite a mouthful, there.
Nonetheless, an enjoyable read, and I look forward to further adventures of Tommy Fortuna and Viviana Valentine - and it seems there's at least one more.
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