Book Review: Murder in the Ranks by Kristi Jones (2024)
Synopsis: After her Nazi-sympathizer husband hospitalized her and took their 3-year-old daughter back to Germany shortly before the United States entered World War II, Dottie Lincoln volunteered for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) so she could do her part to end the war quickly and give her a chance to be reunited with her daughter. Two years later, she is stationed in Algiers as a WAAC squad leader, dealing both with the constant threat of air raids and Army officers who don't think women belong. When one of her squad members falls from a roof and dies, the Army is quick to rule it a suicide, but Dottie and her persistence allows her to participate in the investigation. There's just one problem, her connection to a Nazi sympathizer could get her charged as a traitor before she finds the killer.
Review: Our local library is going to be closed for the next few weeks as it relocates to a temporary location so renovations can be completed. As a result of this, I stocked up on books a few days ago and, as part of that, decided to try some authors I haven't read before. This included Murder in the Ranks, which intrigued me both because it was a murder mystery and because it was set in a unique time and setting.
I finished reading it today and absolutely loved it.
One of the things I found I liked most about this book was the historic accuracy regarding the WAACs and how they were viewed during World War II, both as volunteers who weren't entitled to death benefits and as women who were expected, in addition to their actual jobs, entertain the enlisted men while, at the same time, being constantly under the microscope because plenty of people felt they should just be sent home, despite being there to free up more soldiers for the front lines.
This combination made the mystery surrounding the deceased WAAC, Ruth. There were an almost endless number of possible motivations for her death, ranging from a soldier unwilling to take no for an answer to someone trying to give the Army a reason to send the women home. It could also have been another WAAC, either because they were jealous or were doing something they didn't want the rule-stringent Ruth to report.
Another thing I liked about this book was the platonic relationship between Dottie and the official investigator, Captain Devlin. Too many stories get bogged down by unnecessary romance and I appreciated how the author created a bit of sexual tension by having Dottie realize her superior officer was handsome and Devlin clearly going above and beyond for Dottie for some sort of non-military motivation but knew when to draw a professional line (though I suspect, if this becomes a series, that will eventually change).
Dottie's backstory, involving the abusive husband and her mom-like motivations was a nice touch as well. It humanized her while also giving her a bit of kryptonite, especially when her past has the potential to get her arrested and possibly even executed as a spy. That was almost as intriguing at times as the mystery itself.
Final Opinion: This is a great murder mystery that also provides some insight into what women volunteers faced during World War II. It's worth taking the time to read for both reasons.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other murder mysteries:
Book Review: The Case of the Daring Decoy by Erle Stanley Gardner (1957)
Book Review: Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie (1956)
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