Another WWII book....nooooo....but, wait. It was a big war with lots of unexpected corners and revelations, and this book highlights a bit of the war I hadn’t ever known about. It’s focused on the WAACs, or Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. As originally created, the women who volunteered to serve had none of the rights of the men in the regular army. This was pretty quickly corrected and the WAACs became simply the WACs, without “auxiliary” in the moniker. For the purposes of this novel, however, Auxiliary Dottie Lincoln has signed up as a WAAC and is serving alongside other women in Algiers, at a time when the war wasn’t going so well for the Allies.

As the book opens, Dottie is at a dance – one of the WAACs’ “duties” was to dance with the men and give them a little cheer before they head to the front. Men being men, they are pretty handsy and needy, and Dottie is occupied in saving one of her number from an especially persistent soldier. The woman, Ruth, is one of the most straightlaced in their group, adhering as closely as possible to every rule and regulation. It’s with great shock then, when, later in the evening, Ruth plunges off the roof of the hotel where the dance was being held. It’s seen as a suicide, but Dottie refuses to believe it and it’s her bull-headed persistence that forces the MP in charge to take a look at her death as something else.

As I’ve said so many times before, this is a mystery novel, so naturally the death is not a suicide. Dottie has good instincts, though her efforts are sometimes stymied as she attempts to get men to pay attention and take her seriously when she’s seen mostly as “just” a secretary. (WAACs did many jobs but the bulk was secretarial, though they also served as drivers, translators, switchboard operators and more). Captain Devlin, the MP in charge, eventually recognizes a brain when he encounters one and does listen to what she’s saying.

The book takes a good look at the various girls in the unit. They are a little annoyed as they have mountains of work and Dottie has been requisitioned by the MP – but this allows Dottie, through questioning, to examine their backstories and for the reader to discover their different personalities and different reasons for being in the war. Dottie’s heartbreaking backstory is also teased out through the book.

The details of their lives – they are living in a convent, much to the displeasure of the mother superior –add interest to the narrative, as does the setting. The author really seems to capture the feel of wartime Algiers. The women in the unit are mostly sturdy, practical and uncomplaining (with a few exceptions, of course), and all are there to further the war effort however they can. They are a wonderful backbone to this lively story.
The book is paced nicely and the characters are really well drawn. The solution is ingenious, though I will say Dottie misses an annoyingly obvious opportunity to find the evidence she needs much, much earlier than she actually does, but the book was such a fun read this was more of a momentary annoyance than a quibble with the entire book. This is a great debut, set at a time when there were still a couple years left in the war, so if there are sequels to this one there’s some room to grow. Dottie is an incredibly engaging and appealing heroine.

A great read based on brave women who started off as volunteers before they became the women’s army corps. Although fiction it still packs a punch as many aspects would have rung true. Thanks to Kristi and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

I’m not a huge mystery/thriller reader but I do love a good historical fiction, especially if it involves strong women. Initially this book throw A TON of characters at you, it was a bit hard to keep track of them all. But once the story really picks up and you put your detective brain work it all comes full circle.

This was well written, well researched, and overall a great read.

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and truthful review.

Murder in the Ranks by Kristi Jones is a book dedicated to the brave American women who served with the 149th Post Headquarters Company. General Dwight D. Eisenhower - The Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in North Africa assigned these women under ‘The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in Algiers.

These WAAC units were established as women soldiers and assigned to assist in fighting the war in 1943 against Nazi Germany. Even though they were considered as soldiers their duties were of the administrative nature like typists, drivers, switchboard operators, drivers and leaving the men to defend and use the weapons. They were also assigned to boost moral amongst the Men at social gatherings and dance. As such were not granted the same recognition of the men when it came to their deaths during the war.

This story begins on the 12th February 1943 at the US Army Navy Dance in Algiers Opera House, Breslin Square. The Maurice Sarner Band locals to Algiers played ‘Dance in the Dark’. Everyone was enjoying themselves drinking, eating and dancing the night away. All except for Dottie Lincoln - Squad Leader Head of the 22nd Post Headquarters Company WAAC unit. Dottie was watching over her girls and making sure they were all safe.

Dottie lead a team of 5 WAAC -
Ruth Wentz who always follows the rules and regulations
Mary Jordan who should never have joined up
Sue Dunworthy who was the life of the party
Jeannie Kirksley a dear friend to all especially Dottie and who worked for the General
And lastly Mabel Cornfield (Butch) who worked in the motor pool.

At the end of the night, Auxiliary Ruth Wentz was found dead from a suspected suicide, Dottie disagrees and suspects it was Murder. Captain Delvin Military Police Dectective is assigned and working together with Dottie they uncover the real truth of the events leading up to the death of the beloved WAAC team member. - Ruth Wentz.

Dottie has a secret that no one is aware of and a keepsake letter she has hidden is discovered by Sue Dunworthy. It reveals that Dottie is married to an abusive husband named Konrad a German who fled to Germany taking their three year old daughter Sadie with him. Dottie is accused of and detained for being a spy however the letter confirms otherwise.

During her detention she reviews the facts of the murder case discovers who the murder is and fights against him keeping him tied up so not to escape his fate.

This book is filled with suspense, twists and turns that you don’t expect. A book that makes you realise how effective, strong and courageous women’s participation in the war efforts were achieved.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review from NetGalley and the publishers Crooked Lane.

This debut novel by Kristi Jones is an interesting read, full of secrets and historical events combined with a who done it murder mystery. A different perspective of war. Very intriguing . A 5 out of 5 star rating.

This was such a great and interesting read. I love the occasional historical fiction and tend to enjoy those set around WWII the most. Of the hundreds of books I’ve read, I don’t recall ever reading one about the female not-so-quite soldiers who were present. I say not-so-quite because while they were soldiers, they lacked many of the same protections and entitlements that the men received. For example, the women stationed overseas had to pay for postage to mail home letters, while the men didn’t. And the women didn’t receive any assurances the military would help them if they were captured, which was a very real concern. Of course this is a dramatized accounting, but it really did make me stop and think, and look up and do some research. The Women Army Auxiliary Corps were created in 1942 and the women performed over 200 jobs during their service. The jobs ranged from clerks, to pilots, to gunnery instructors. It’s rather fascinating stuff. Some sources I found say this WAAC which was disbanded after the war, helped pave the future for women in the military and it was in 1948 that women were granted the right to serve as regular members of the military for the first time.

History lesson aside, this book was well done. I enjoyed reading about Dorthea and her role. The mystery element was well done, and I was very invested as to how it played out. The romance was subtle and while present, not the focus of the book. This is a shorter read, and the pacing is quick so I read it over the course of a football game on a Sunday.

Check this book out and get caught up in the history yourself! You don’t want to miss it

I had not read about Algiers during WWII before. This book is well researched. I also enjoyed learning about the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. I couldn't get into the characters but I liked the mystery. Definitely for historical fiction fans.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Dottie Lincoln joined the American Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and she’s one of the first women to serve in a combat zone and their sent to Algiers, in North Africa as typists, drivers, translators, and switchboard operators and so more men can fight. Dottie is a squad leader of the Twenty-Second Post Headquarters Company, she spends her days deploying men and materials to the front and at night she attends the army and navy dances to boost morale.

When Auxiliary Ruth Wentz passes away and everyone thinks she died in a tragic accident and Dottie doesn’t agree. Captain Devlin is a member of the military police and a detective and Dottie makes sure he's aware it could be a murder investigation.

Dottie has a secret, she’s married to Konrad, who fled America and returned to Germany and took their daughter with him and Dottie is accused of being a spy. Dottie’s detained, maybe the killer dobbed her in and to get her out of the way? While she’s waiting her fate, Dottie goes over the clues, what she knows about Ruth and her movements on her last day in Algiers and maybe she’s missed something.

I received a copy of Murder in the Ranks from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The author Kristi Jones debut novel is an engaging historical mystery and Algiers was the perfect place to set the narrative in and at the time it's full of American, British and Australian soldiers, poor and desperate locals and it was strategically important. With a thriving port and black-market, corruption and brothels and money to be made.

A story full of secrets and danger, desert and sand, cover ups and multiple suspects, a victim who liked to follow rules and the killer could be anyone who wanted her out of the way, with lots of twists and it kept me guessing until the end and four stars from me and I recommend.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


At its inception, the Women’s Army Corps began as an auxiliary unit serving without the same benefits as other divisions of the Army. For the most part, they were unwelcome and treated poorly. It wasn’t until after months of proving themselves to be valuable soldiers that they were given full status with respect to benefits and became sought after as an asset by officers who desperately needed their skills. MURDER IN THE RANKS is a fictionalized representation of the WAAC/WAC unit serving in Algiers, N. Africa during WWII.

Author, Kristi Jones, doesn’t waste any time starting the battle between genders. The story opens with friction between key characters at a dance. Too much booze, lack of respect, gender role expectations, bad behavior and we have the recipe for a bad time in the desert. If that wasn’t enough, the book title is teased at the end of chapter Four and broken wide open in Five.

Jones tells the story using a first person perspective with Dottie Lincoln, a squad leader, being the voice. A woman from Dottie’s squad fell to her death from the roof of a building. Her husband ran off with her baby daughter and is currently fighting for the Germans. She kept this information a secret from the Army and it becomes an huge problem for her. She can’t solve the murder or lead her squad if she is a suspect.

Good historical information is woven thru a solid plot. The mysteries were simple and predictable. Violence is mild and without much description. Sexual content consists of unwanted advances at a dance and some conversations about unwanted pregnancy. Language is a 3/10 with a few instances of completely unnecessary expletives, including the
F-bomb. Character development doesn’t exist as the story happens within a short period of time and the dialogue is adequate to move the story along.

3.5 stars rounded up for writing about a little known group of women who served our country well with little to no recognition. Thank you for your service, ladies📚


Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

3.5 stars for this one.

I found the mystery to be really intriguing and I didn't figure out the murderer's identity, which made this enjoyable to read. However, there were two reasons my rating wasn't higher.

1. Editing: The editing left a lot to be desired. There were occasional missing words, several instances of incorrect punctuation (in particular, the use of semicolons), and unintentional, I'm sure, changes in the POV from first person to third person.
***Note: I read an advance reader copy, so it's possible that additional editing was completed prior to publication.***

2. Details: Although I truly appreciated and learned from the obviously thorough research completed by the author, there were several times that the story became bogged down with too many superfluous details.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Murder in the Ranks and recommend it. The potential is there for the book to have been much higher rated.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Net Galley. A positive review was not required and the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"Murder in the Ranks" is a mystery set in 1943 in Algiers. Dottie's smart and very determined. She spotted that Ruth's apparent suicide was murder and insisted the MP detective look at the evidence and investigate. He took her along to take notes (and help investigate). They asked good questions and followed up on leads, but they were given a limited time to find the murderer. Then one of her suspects ended up in the hospital, also an apparent suicide attempt.

The main characters were interesting, likable, and reacted realistically to events. Vivid historical details were woven into the story, bringing the place and time alive in my imagination. While this was a clue-based mystery, I caught a critical clue early on and correctly suspected whodunit. I began doubting my choice as I couldn't figure out how whodunit was doing the murders, and this was never explained. There were hints about Ruth's murder, but not for the second attempt.

Also, otherwise smart Dottie brought a letter she knew could be used against her to war and then left it in an unsecure area where anyone could take it. The author tried to explain it, but I still felt it made no sense. The potential threat from this letter's really built up and could ruin all trust with her coworkers at best or get her fired or worse. This threat was simply dropped at the end, with no consequences. I liked the story but felt like the author was sloppy with wrapping it up convincingly. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this as an interesting historical novel.

This book was well written and I have not read a mystery similar to it.

I did find it slow and difficult to get into but would like to read the physical copy when it comes out and try again.

I would recommend this for historical fiction lovers nd lovers of mysteries!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

Set in Algiers in 1943, Murder in the Ranks is a clever mystery and a little-told story of American women who served in the WAACs, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, before women were allowed to join the army as regular soldiers. Serving in roles behind the lines, they freed men to go into combat. Theirs was a generally thankless task, as men thought women should not be so close to the fighting, and showed this through belittling and disrespect, both verbal and physical.

Focused on a small squad of women, the story is told by Dottie Lincoln, 29 years old, with domestic secrets in her past: Although she lived in Texas, in early 1941 her abusive husband, a German, left her to serve in the Fatherland’s army, taking their three-year-old daughter with him. When war was declared with Germany, Dottie could not follow. She hopes that now she will help bring the war to a quicker close, and be able to search for her little girl.

Many of the characters are well-drawn, but the writing is rather repetitious: Dottie refers to the WAACs non-army status again and again, and she repeatedly goes over possible scenarios to explain the sudden death of her co-worker, which is the main mystery of the book.

This is the first book in a projected series, and I hope the author can maintain her skillful plot writing and character development, but tighten up her narrative.

I liked the setting of WW2 in Algiers since I haven’t read more than a blip in that ww2 location. The basis of the mystery and the WAACs was interesting and lended to the setting, and what the MPs were dealing with beyond just the fighting and war.

I felt that the characters, however, were a bit flat and lacked a lot of depth, or at the very least lacked information. It felt like walking in on a conversation halfway in progress already, and I never felt like it fleshed anyone out, include Dottie. It was more about the action/mystery with little investment in the people. I kept losing interest without the character development to really anchor me, despite the history that I enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

This book was about the American war effort in 1942, set in Algiers. In particular, it's centered on the WAACs, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Dottie Lincoln is the star of the story. She was chosen as a team leader and her job was to watch over the women in her charge. One of those women, Ruth, was a stickler for army protocol and she was murdered at a dance. At first, it was thought that she committed suicide, but Dottie knew better than that. So she enlisted Captain Devlin to investigate the murder, and he chose Dottie to be his assistant. The first suspect they had, private Riviera, turned out to be a dead end. The other people they suspected proved to be innocent as well.

As the author drew the reader through the intricate investigation, the plot thickened and was compelling enough to keep the reader coming back for more. This saga was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down. I was so invested in finding out who the murderer was that I literally devoured it. And it turns out that the culprit was someone that I least expected. All in all, I found this to be a very good read. I gave it five stars.

*Kristi Jones’ Murder in the Ranks stands out as a historical mystery set during World War II in the US Army camps of Algiers, North Africa. For readers familiar with WWII fiction, the unique setting adds fresh intrigue to the story. The novel skillfully balances the gritty atmosphere of a wartime military camp with investigations that keeps you engaged.
Overall, Murder in the Ranks is an enjoyable read for those who love WWII fiction and mysteries. The combination of a unique setting, engaging characters, and a solid plot makes it a strong choice for historical mystery fans.

Amazing! I adore this author and this book was fantastic. You almost forget you are even reading. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends and family!

Murder in the Ranks is a well plotted and clever mystery that will have you hooked from the beginning.

Its 1943 in the Algiers and women soldiers have just been introduced into the army and recently dispatched into a combat zone.

Not everyone likes the idea to say the least.

Dottie Lincoln is the Squad B's leader for her group of WAACS.

When one of her group members dies tragically , Dottie refuses to believe it was suicide and is determined to prove so.

Secrets, deception, black market, bribery and blackmail all prevail as the investigation proceeds.

Dottie has her own secrets.

Kristi Jones has written a well researched , taut mystery with twists and turns along with characters you love to sneer at and those you cheer on .

A fantastic debut novel and I cant wait to see what Kristi Jones writes next.

Highly recommend you sit down with Murder in the Ranks and sit back and enjoy the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing Murder in the Ranks.

Rife with historical detail and intrigue, Murder in the Ranks by Kristi Jones introduces Dottie Lincoln of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. It's a heartfelt story of crime, betrayal, and loyalty set in the early days of the Second World War in North Africa. Dottie’s a keeper!

I REALLY wanted to like this book!! And for the most part I did like it, but there was just something lacking. This book was well researched, and well plotted. The characters were a little undeveloped, but likeable nonetheless. I will definitely give this author another go on her next novel.

Murder in the Ranks is a historical mystery that takes place during World War II in the US Army camps in Algiers, North Africa. Having read WWII fiction before, I was excited as I have never read a story that took place in that location. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters but I wish they had developed the back story of the main character more. It seemed to be a major plot point but was not fleshed out as much as it could be and it was really interesting. I wonder if this is the beginning of a series and we will get more of it in subsequent stories. If you enjoy WWII fiction/mysteries, you will enjoy this book.