The Last Tango of Delores Delgado

Dolores Delgado danced with style (and a knife in her garter) until the night she collapsed on stage and died without regaining consciousness. The death looks suspicious to Sydney, Australia, PI Claudia Valentine, who was hired to help Dolores track down fabulous dress shops (PI business has been slow), but the police won't investigate. So, armed with keys to Dolores's apartment, she explores the dancer's life--or lives: Dolores's effects include three passports bearing different names, business suits, a company credit card and a book on doing business with the Japanese. Early in the investigation someone takes an interest in Claudia: after she is nearly run over, she acquires a persistent, yet amateurish, tail. The more Claudia uncovers--a businessman sugar daddy, a recent trip to a tourist town that seems much too bland for the flamboyant tango artiste--the more she realizes she didn't know Dolores at all. Day's ( The Case of the Chinese Boxes ) story is not for the prim; it is as tough and outrageous as the characters who populate it. But Dolores is quite a character, and Day plays her for all she's worth. (May)