[2] Dawson's Kindred Crimes was named a "best first private-eye novel" by St. Martin's Press and the Private Eye Writer's Association in 1990, and in 2004, her short story, "Voice Mail", won a Macavity Award.
[2] Pearl G. Aldrich, in St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, praises Dawson for creating a strong central character, Jeri Howard, "an independent woman who chooses her own destiny and fights her own battles", for her main series of novels.
The magazine describes as "workmanlike" her most recent novel in the series, The Devil Close Behind, concluding that "This love letter to New Orleans has a great sense of place, which compensates in part for a mystery with few surprises.
"[3] Lauren Miller, writing for the Historical Novel Society, praises Dawson for the "extensive research into train life" that informs Death Rides the Zephyr.
This detail includes "every aspect of being a Zephyrette [train stewardess], from dealing with rude customers to the ticket colors used when scheduling luncheon and the dinner hour."