Death of a Doll — Hilda Lawrence

"A treasure of a mystery novel." -- The New York Times Book Review.
"A distinguished book." --  San Francisco Chronicle
"The only time-out for catching your breath in this story of brooding terror is when antic humor cracks the gloom." --  The New York Times
Did she jump or was she pushed? When Ruth Miller's broken body is retrieved from the pavement below her New York City room, everyone assumes that her seven-story drop was a suicide leap --  almost everyone, that is. One of the young department store clerk's customers suspects foul play, hiring detective Mark East to take a close look at the boarding house and its residents.
Hope House, a Home for Working Girls, provides a haven for young women who are barely scraping by in the Big Apple. But the sanctuary is haunted by Ruth's sudden departure, and after a second violent death, the lodgers begin eyeing one another with suspicion. As the tension builds, East's investigation receives an unexpected assist from Beulah Pond and Bessy Petty, spinsters whose amateur sleuthing adds comic appeal to this atmospheric and suspenseful whodunit.