M. Ruth Myers

Since being discharged from the Army during WWII, Heebs Kelly has been working with his long-time mentor, Private Investigator Maggie Sullivan, in Dayton, Ohio. A PENNY EARNED takes place in the 1950s during the Eisenhower administration.
During his active duty, he lost a hand and gained one close friend, Paul Richardson who now is a lawyer in Wyoming. After Paul contacts Heebs to tell him he can use his help about something he has learned, Heebs drives to Wyoming to help out.
When he arrives, Paul’s very pregnant wife tells him he’s not home from work yet and he hasn’t answered her phone calls. Heebs goes to Paul’s office where a woman doctor whose office is in the building shows him the office. Heebs goes in and finds that his friend is dead, killed by someone by breaking his neck.
The police immediately decide that Heebs is the killer and are determined to close the case. Only after Heebs can prove he is not the guilty is he released. But Paul’s father-in-law tells him he doesn’t think the police will work very hard and asks Heebs to find the killer.
Heebs first task is determining what information Paul was investigating so he knows where to look. When he goes back to the office, he finds someone else there and is attacked by two men outside. He realizes that something very important but also questionable must be at stake.
In this first book in a series involving a person introduced in the Maggie Sullivan series. M. Ruth Myers delivers a realistic character, sounding like someone with Heebs’ background. The plot is plausible as are the people and situations. Myers does not rely on descriptive violence nor sex to move the story along.
Like all the books in the previous series, A PENNY EARNED is well-written interesting. I look forward to more books about Heebs as well as more about Maggie.… (mere)