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No Game for a Dame (Maggie Sullivan Mystery #1)
by
M. Ruth Myers (Goodreads Author)
Private eye Maggie Sullivan knows the streets of Depression-era Dayton, Ohio, as well as she knows an emery board. With a gin bottle in her desk, a .38 under her seat, and a great pair of legs she can hold her own against the toughest opponent. Then a routine case makes her a murder suspect and the target of a crime boss who's got friends at City Hall. Moving through a lan...more
Paperback, 278 pages
Published
January 12th 2012
by Tuesday House
(first published October 28th 2011)
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Maggie Sullivan, the daughter of a police officer, is a private investigator in Dayton, Ohio, in 1938.
A wealthy businessman, Lewis Throckmorton, hired her to investigate his nephew Peter Stowe who he has raised and is hoping will take over his business, a seller of business forms and office supplies. Peter has been dressing better and acting differently recently and Throckmorton suspects theft.
When the novel opens, a thug has appeared in her office, threatening her while trying to find out w...more
A wealthy businessman, Lewis Throckmorton, hired her to investigate his nephew Peter Stowe who he has raised and is hoping will take over his business, a seller of business forms and office supplies. Peter has been dressing better and acting differently recently and Throckmorton suspects theft.
When the novel opens, a thug has appeared in her office, threatening her while trying to find out w...more
No Game for a Dame written by M. Ruth Myers is a hard boiled detective novel with a twist. Maggie Sullivan is the detective. Set in the 1930's when women didn't have such occupations, Maggie is often taken for granted. An old friend of her father asked if she was sure this was the kind of work she wanted to do, cause she would have made such a nice teacher. But our detective is all too aware of how men percieve her and uses that knowledge to her advantage. "Crooks and killers set so much store b...more
Jun 06, 2013
Nancy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes mystery series
Recommended to Nancy by:
Bookbub
A hard-boiled female PI!! Love it!! A female Sam Spade. I love mystery series and this book is the start of a promising one. This series takes place in the late 1930s - the country is pulling out of the depression and the world is heading into WWII. Maggie Sullivan is the daughter of an Irish cop in Dayton, Ohio - she likes Gin & Tonic, whisky and apples. She's scrappy, but has enough sense to not go down to the basement in her negligee holding a candle for light. She is Nancy Drew's alter-e...more
I have always loved Erle Stanley Gardner, Raymond Chandler and the genre of the 1920-30's era in America and the UK. I feel Ruth Myers wonderful character, Maggie Sullivan, is amongst these witty, ironic but smart private eyes and she's a dame! So there's a new twist. But she's nobody's fool and neither, I'm glad to say, is she some angst ridden feminist whom modern writers love to extol as if Men are suddenly the Enemy. They really irritate me. Maggie is attractive, likes to wear pretty clothes...more
This book was offered for free by Amazon so I downloaded it. I had read a couple of reviews beforehand that made it sound like I might enjoy it. The author was unknown to me. It is unlikely I would have purchased this otherwise.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book. This is one of those old-time detective stories . . . dark allies, hit men, and smoking. I got into the story.
Maggie Sullivan is the rough female detective in this Depression-era novel. She's smart, witty, and full of sass. That is what...more
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book. This is one of those old-time detective stories . . . dark allies, hit men, and smoking. I got into the story.
Maggie Sullivan is the rough female detective in this Depression-era novel. She's smart, witty, and full of sass. That is what...more
"NO GAME FOR A DAME", featuring private eye Maggie Sullivan, has turned out to be one of my favorite series -- and that is just by reading the debut! If it were possible I would rate this book more than 5 stars. It's worth it!
Maggie Sullivan is tough, smart, has the wits to match any foe she comes across and isn't afraid to use them. Maggie's character has everything you'd look for in a female detective. A woman who is intelligent, brave, and strong. She is also kind, caring, and compassionate a...more
Maggie Sullivan is tough, smart, has the wits to match any foe she comes across and isn't afraid to use them. Maggie's character has everything you'd look for in a female detective. A woman who is intelligent, brave, and strong. She is also kind, caring, and compassionate a...more
The biggest problem I had when reading this book is I am not a fan of the hardboiled private eye who props his feet on his desk, keeps a fifth of gin (or whiskey or scotch) in his drawer and a smoking gun within reach. In No Game for a Dame, the private eye is a woman, but she still has that sort of feel to her (and a .38 and the liquor). The setting of the book is the Depression era, which was somewhat interesting to me. I kept thinking the detective’s life would have been so much easier with a...more
May 18, 2012
M. Locke
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of 1930s hard boiled detectives, mysteries with women sleuths, historical mysteries
I am a fan of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and the hard-boiled detective mysteries set in the 1930s and 1940s, which is why I gave Myer's historical mystery, No Game for a Dame, a try. And boy, am I glad I did.
It was such fun to see how the classic themes of this genre played out with a female private eye, Maggie Sullivan, and i was impressed at how absolutely faithful to the historical time and place, late 1930's Dayton, Ohio, the book was. The historical detail was subtle, but spot on, an...more
It was such fun to see how the classic themes of this genre played out with a female private eye, Maggie Sullivan, and i was impressed at how absolutely faithful to the historical time and place, late 1930's Dayton, Ohio, the book was. The historical detail was subtle, but spot on, an...more
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.
This was my first detective/private eye story, so I was a little unsure of how I would like. I absolutely loved it!
All the characters are wonderful, but Maggie Sullivan is a great, tough dame. I adored her. The writing style was engaging and compelling, yet simple. It made it very easy to read. The best part of this book is the plot, hands down. I kept reading because I just wanted to find out what happened next! It was very interesting an...more
This was my first detective/private eye story, so I was a little unsure of how I would like. I absolutely loved it!
All the characters are wonderful, but Maggie Sullivan is a great, tough dame. I adored her. The writing style was engaging and compelling, yet simple. It made it very easy to read. The best part of this book is the plot, hands down. I kept reading because I just wanted to find out what happened next! It was very interesting an...more
No Game For A Dame is a throwback to the hardboiled PI detective stories of the 1930s. All the conventions of the genre are observed in a fast paced, well-plotted and carefully crafted story of good guys and gangsters, except one. As the title implies, the feisty PI is, well, a dame, a broad. Sam Spade and Stephen Marlowe must be spinning in their literary graves. Anyway, the book is a delightful read. However, there were a few things that jarred and puzzled me: author Myers used two British idi...more
From the opening scene of Ruth Myers' NO GAME FOR A DAME, I felt like I had entered an old fashioned-detective movie - one that starts out with the detective narrating. The language and sentence structure were designed to put you right in the story with Maggie Sullivan, private eye. Since the story is set in first person, Maggie's thoughts are front and center. I enjoyed the details from the time (1938). Ruth's use of the word Negro, although jarring to our modern ear, is appropriate for the tim...more
This was a hard one for me to rate. I really enjoyed the book and thought the plot was interesting. I also liked the main character. I wish I could give it stars based on what category it was in... I did have a hard time towards the end following what was happening. There were a couple spots where I wondered if I was missing pages, because the topic jumped. The end was also very hectic and abrupt. I did like it enough to add the next book "Tough Cookie" to my want-to-read list.
I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This was the first book I've read set in the 1930's, so I was a little unsure of how I'd like it.
I was a fan of the Maggie Sullivan from the very beginning of the book. I enjoyed the setting and terminology from the past and was glad to see such a strong female lead character, which I was NOT expecting.This was a fun, light read.
This was the first book I've read set in the 1930's, so I was a little unsure of how I'd like it.
I was a fan of the Maggie Sullivan from the very beginning of the book. I enjoyed the setting and terminology from the past and was glad to see such a strong female lead character, which I was NOT expecting.This was a fun, light read.
An entertaining mystery with feisty female protagonist set in 1930s, to add a bit of spice. The story was fun and I enjoyed it. I would like to see a bit more character development/evoluation, myself, as I find plot-driven tales a bit simplistic. Maybe if I read the whole series I will find what I am looking for. Still, a fun read. I recommend it.
Jan 11, 2013
Norma Huss
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Noir, historic, and traditional mystery buffs
This is an historical, tough-guy detective mystery set in the late 1930s with a woman as the tough guy dick. Best of several worlds. Maggie Sullivan does it all, shadows the bad guys, gets caught and escapes, figures it all out, survives near-fatal events, and comes up the winner (barely). Plenty of authentic historic details, which I especially like.
This was a not-so-successful attempt to recreate that hard-boiled school of detective
story that was especially popular in the 40's.
I found the dated language and noirish settings
a distraction and the characters wooden. This
is one "dame" who prefers Cordelia Gray.
story that was especially popular in the 40's.
I found the dated language and noirish settings
a distraction and the characters wooden. This
is one "dame" who prefers Cordelia Gray.
First, NO GAME FOR A DAME is great FUN!
Maggie Sullivan, the private eye who is the central character of this book, is resourceful and smart. Although she moves through 1930s terrain, she does so with a crafty flair that does NOT reflect today's stereotyped concept of the women of that era (demure, submissive ... blah!). Instead, Maggie is an independent woman competing in the male-dominated world of depression-era Dayton, Ohio.
M. Ruth Myers promises that this is the first in a series that will...more
Maggie Sullivan, the private eye who is the central character of this book, is resourceful and smart. Although she moves through 1930s terrain, she does so with a crafty flair that does NOT reflect today's stereotyped concept of the women of that era (demure, submissive ... blah!). Instead, Maggie is an independent woman competing in the male-dominated world of depression-era Dayton, Ohio.
M. Ruth Myers promises that this is the first in a series that will...more
The 1930s gumshoe dialogue and writing style are quite good, but this book was too plot-driven for me, without enough character development. This series has potential and Maggie Sullivan is likeable enough, but it would be better if she were more fleshed out as a character.
I almost quit reading this one early on, since the 1930s PI slang was used so heavily that it was kind of irritating, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I ended up enjoying it a lot and look forward to the next book.
This is a fun, quick read. Dayton, Ohio is an odd place for an historical mystery series to take place, but Maggie Sullivan could finds enough trouble there!
This book started out very entertaining. Set in the depression years with language used then was enlightening. However the middle started to drag and was difficult to stay with the book. The end picked up and was much better. I would try another book by this author.
Only towards the last two or three chapters did it get interesting. And the ending *sigh* SMH. Just horrible.
Mar 26, 2012
Emily
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Emily by:
Free Kindle Book
This was very well written. A good story with lots of twists and turns. I like the female protagonist and enjoyed that the book is set in Dayton Ohio (just up the road from me). The historical setting of shortly before WWII was well done. I will keep my eye open for the next in the series.
Took me forever to read. Never really kept my interest.
This was an okay read for a women sleuth genre. Time was the 40s, there were a lot of characters, I almost needed a scorecard to keep track.
If you love a tough, smart heroine, you'll love PI, Maggie Sullivan. Set in the late 1930s in Dayton, Ohio, the novel's ambiance wraps around you like a friendly arm, despite gangsters and shootouts. Easy to read, fun and satisfying.
Captured the the 40's era perfectly. Correct lingo, and verse. I was worried the language would take me out of the time, but it actually kept me there. Engaging characters. Overall a fun read.
I loved this book, Sam Spade in skirts. It was action packed and just plain fun to read. I can't wait for the next Maggie Sullivan.
Jun 17, 2013
*~Serenity~*
marked it as female-detective-series
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mystery, Crim...: Blogsite on Gal P.I.'s | 1 | 6 | Jun 01, 2013 12:52pm | |
| The Mystery, Crim...: FREE 1/4-6 -- Gal gumshoe | 1 | 8 | Jan 03, 2013 12:55pm | |
| mystery lovers: Private Eye Tale FREE 10/26-28 | 1 | 5 | Oct 26, 2012 01:21pm | |
| The Mystery, Crim...: Private Eye yarn FREE 10/26-28 | 1 | 8 | Oct 26, 2012 01:09pm | |
| The Mystery, Crim...: Free DAME 8/10-11 | 1 | 5 | Aug 10, 2012 11:44am | |
| mystery lovers: No Game for a Dame FREE 6/29-7/1 | 1 | 9 | Jun 29, 2012 09:10am |
M. Ruth Myers (also writing as Mary Ruth Myers) is the author of novels in several categories,including her new Maggie Sullivan mystery series featuring a Depression era private eye in Dayton, Ohio.
Her novels have been translated into several languages, optioned for television and condensed. They also have been used in college classes in Japan. She has taught at writers’ conferences across the cou...more
More about M. Ruth Myers...
Her novels have been translated into several languages, optioned for television and condensed. They also have been used in college classes in Japan. She has taught at writers’ conferences across the cou...more
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Nov 15, 2011 09:27am