During the summer of 1943, New York City is so hot you
could fry an egg on the sidewalk, or whatever else you
wished to cook in a hurry. It is also a time when America's
at war and it is not unheard of for a young woman to meet a
soldier and fall in love before he shipped out. But what if
the love of your life turns up missing? This is the case
that private eye Faye Quick takes on. Her client, Claire
Turner, hires Faye to find her missing boyfriend, Private
Charles Ladd. What seems like a simple, non-dangerous
missing person's case turns into murder when a body is
found in Private Ladd's hotel room. But it's a John Doe
who's found dead and not Ladd. Now the big question still
remains. Where is Private Charlie?
Since the case now involves murder, Faye must inform the
police. While everyone and his (or her) brother is trying
to identify the body, a ransom call comes in to Claire. And
this can't involve the police if she wants her soldier
back. Charles' father comes to town and interferes with the
instructions that most certainly seal Private Ladd's fate,
until another call comes to Claire. Is she too late to save
her man?
With Faye on the job using her independent, no-nonsense
ways and tough talk, the case is almost solved. But, of
course, things never go as planned. Faye's sweet and
eccentric neighbor, Dolores, is shot. Who would shoot
Dolores, and why? Does it have anything to do with Private
Ladd? Wait until the end and see what Faye's investigative
expertise and street savvy discovers.
TOO DARN HOT, a sequel to THIS DAME FOR HIRE, is a funny
and charming mystery. The humor comes from the colorful
street-smart characters and the 1940s slang. The story is
intriguing and keeps you in suspense with many twists and
turns. Scoppettone has written many award-winning novels
under the pseudonym Jack Early, as well as those
featuring private-eye Lauren Laurano and some for young
adults. I look forward to reading more by her in the future.
I’d had two murders since last spring, solved them
both. The first one was prime and it got a lotta attention
in the fish wrappers, so I had a bunch of clients for
awhile. Just cause people saw my name in the paper they
figured I was the best (which I might be). Not bad for a
26-year-old gal from Newark, New Jersey.
It’s the middle of World War II, but not all the killing
is happening overseas. In a sweltering New York City
summer, scrappy steno-turned-sleuth Faye Quick – kicked
upstairs when her boss ships out – takes on a new case that
would make even the most experienced P.I. sweat bullets.
It all starts with a beautiful woman. Heartbroken Claire
Turner turns on the waterworks in Faye’s office, begging
for help in finding her beau, Private Charlie Ladd, gone
missing while on leave from Uncle Sam’s army. But when
Faye busts into Charlie’s hotel room, she doesn’t find
anyone – anyone alive, that is.
But where’s Charlie? Because the corpse in the hotel room
might not be him. And that leads Faye to wonder if the
unfortunate stiff was Charlie’s target practice.
In a case with more twists, starts, and stops than the
Third Avenue El, Faye learns that some shocking truths are
hidden behind the fog of war – a personal war being fought
on the home front.
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