My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Past and present clash on the Texas Gulf Coast in this excellent debut mystery by Laura Oles
Daughters of Bad Men is a fantastic debut for the Jamie Rush Mystery series by author Laura Oles. The main character, Jamie Rush, is a likable and capable yet vulnerable young woman who, despite her unfortunate childhood, has broken away from her family's shady way of life and landed on her own two feet with a pretty positive outlook. She's one smart cookie, able to read people, and has a witty personality. She and her partner have a delightful friendship and excellent working relationship that I really enjoyed. Their friend, Erin Clay, is a woman of contrasts. Although looking like a member of the Junior League, she's building a successful bookie operation among the locals and the Winter Texans and doing so away from the influence of her father, a well-known, if not notorious, bookie in Las Vegas.
The author makes the coastal setting of Port Alene come alive. The descriptions are vivid and familiar, and I enjoyed trying to decide if the locations were actual ones, but disguised, or entirely fictional. I could easily visualize where the action was taking place, and I wanted to make a trip to Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, or Rockport quick, fast, and in a hurry.The plot is smart and complex and held my attention from page one. I got the distinct impression that there is so much more happening below the surface of life in Port Alene than what is visible and that our characters are just getting started with their involvement in the business of the various crime families and criminal organizations. That feeling gave the book an extra undercurrent of menace and danger lurking nightside there. I hope there are many more mysteries to come in this series.
With its likable and engaging characters, sultry, salt-sprayed setting, and the emotion-tugging puzzle of a murder, I recommend DAUGHTERS OF BAD MEN to mystery fiction readers, especially those who like strong female protagonists, dog-and-cat partnerships, and a tempting setting on the Texas Gulf Coast.