As a child, Mary
Hendley saw a murder. Ever since, she has wanted to be a detective.
Unfortunately for Mary, detective jobs for women are non-existent in
the 1800s. Instead of living her dream, Mary works in a sweatshop
making hats.
Because of the
political climate, Chief Campbell, head of the Brooklyn police, is
forced to hire a woman to investigate the murder of W. W. Goodrich's
brother. Goodrich worked for Edison as a bookkeeper and was privy to
the competition between Edison and Tesla. J. P. Morgan also figures
in the story as Edison's backer.
Due to a series of
misadventures, Mary happens to be in Campbell's office. She appears
to know something of criminology, and he offers her the chance to
head the investigation.
Mary's new role is
not an easy one. The police are unhappy that a woman got this plum
assignment. In addition, Mary's best friend Kate was engaged to
Goodrich and is understandably depressed by his murder. Although
there are many difficulties, Mary revels in her new job and vows to
find the murderer.
For me, the best
part of the book was the attention to historical detail. The
information about the rivalry between Edison and Tesla is not
generally known and paints Edison is a less flattering light than
usual. The way Mary is treated by the police and the role played by
the women demonstrating to give women a chance to have jobs with the
police are very well done.
The first third of
the book has too much backstory for my taste. It turns out to be
relevant, but it took a long time for the murder to occur. Because so
much is backstory, the author does more telling the story than
showing Mary's reactions. Improving this technique would involve the
reader more.
The plot is good
once Mary starts hunting for the murderer. There are plenty of twists
and false leads that keep you guessing. If you like historical
mysteries, this is a good one.
I reviewed this book
for the Amazon Vine Program.
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