Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man by Emily J. Edwards (2022)
Anyone who loves those 1940's-1950's tough-as-nails big city Private Eye noir films needs to snap this one up right away.
Welcome back to early 50's NYC, where Private Investigator Tommy Fortuna solves cases that involve the wealthiest of 'swells' and the seediest of lowlifes. And he depends on the eye catching help of indispensable Gal Friday Viviana Valentine.....a crackerjack secretary, receptionist and when called upon, as savvy and relentless a P.I. as Tommy.
Their latest client, no less than filthy rich Captain of Industry Talmadge Blackstone, wants a close eye kept on his beautiful daughter Tallulah, a freewheeling debutante always in the public eye. But then Tommy mysteriously goes missing and back at the office, Viviana stumbles upon a comatose victim of a severe beating.......and the poor guy was already facially disfigured even before left at death's door.
So that gives? Any of these strange events related? It's up to the plucky, suffer-no-fools Viviana to crack the case without her disappeared boss, but with the unlikely help of her boarding house gal pals. For sure, she's got her hands full, fending off the increasingly suspicious police detective Lawson as well as an abusive ex-boyfriend who's taken to stalking and threatening her. Viviana, however, takes no guff from anyone, even managing to befriend the world famous, but sweet and lonely Tallulah Talmadge.
Plenty of private eye mystery fun unfolds, along with a flavorful evocation of hot summer nights in the Big Apple. The plot thickens nicely, but not worry - Viviana, with streetwise smarts and never far from a smart remark, will get to the bottom of things and lay it all out for you.
You'll guaranteed a breezy good time with this one and might end up counting the days until the next book in the series comes out. 4 stars (****)
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