My name is Dorothy Henderson, but most people call me Dot, as does my pal Amelia Earhart. Being here in Boston for a few weeks in the summer of 1926 and out of my home milieu of Pasadena, California, I don’t have much of a typical day. Amelia does, being employed as a teacher and social worker by the Denison settlement house. She also coaches the Chinese girls’ basketball team at Denison House but always reserves her weekends for flying (something I think she’s an absolute lunatic to do, but that’s a different story).

After Amelia and I read in the newspaper about more than one young immigrant woman being attacked and sometimes murdered, my friend agreed to jump in and help me investigate. She and I are both unmarried and in our twenties, both tall, both inveterate smokers. We value our careers and cherish our dreams. I’m the trained PI, but she’s a fearless and smart side-kick.

Then the newly arrived Jamaican niece of my aunt Etta’s housekeeper was killed, as well as the pretty young auntie of one of Amelia’s ballplayers. That homicide was followed by a Greek girl’s. This was intolerable. As the police weren’t doing much at all to solve the murders, Miss Earhart and I got to work. Our reporter friend Jeanette Colby did what she could to assist, as did Etta.

But gracious sakes alive, Amelia sure loves to drive that yellow Kissel speedster of hers at top speed! I might as well not even wear one of my beloved cloches when she’s behind the wheel. I myself love to drive fast motorcars. However, I much prefer my wheels to stay on the ground to this ridiculous notion Amelia has of flying around the world.

Anyway, we spent quite a few days tracking down criminals both Irish and otherwise in several neighborhoods of Boston and surrounds. While our pursuits yielded horrible men landing behind bars for good, one part of our story came to a sad ending, and Miss Day has written it all down for your perusal. Do read her recounting of it and let us know what you think.

Giveaway: Maddie has generously offered to give away a limited-edition Case for the Ladies tote bag. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends March 14, 2024. Good luck everyone!


A Case for the Ladies, A Dot and Amelia Mystery Book #1
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: March 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Amid Prohibition, Irish gangs, the KKK, and rampant mistreatment of immigrant women, intrepid private investigator Dorothy Henderson and her pal Amelia Earhart seek justice for several murdered young women in 1926 Boston. As tensions mount, the sleuths, along with their reporter friend Jeanette Colby and Dot’s maiden Aunt Etta Rogers, a Wellesley College professor, experience their own mistreatment at the hand of society and wonder who they can really trust.


About the author
Maddie Day pens the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the new Cece Barton Mysteries. As Agatha Award-winning author Edith Maxwell, she writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and short crime fiction. Day/Maxwell lives with her beau and cat Martin north of Boston, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook. Find her at EdithMaxwell.com, wickedauthors.com, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, and on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.