Girl Waits with Gun

This first installment in Amy Stewart's historical fiction series is based on actual places, people and events. Library Journal offers this brief summary: " In 1914, Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp's buggy is struck by an automobile driven by silk manufacturer Henry Kaufman. When he refuses to pay damages, the feisty Constance challenges him. Soon, Henry's thugs threaten the Kopp women at their remote New Jersey farm. Undaunted, Constance goes to the police, who are amused by the tall, confident woman. However, wise, fair, and kind Sheriff Bob Heath sees the wrong in what's happening to the family and asks Constance to help catch the men." 

Reviews are uniformly positive. Publishers Weekly praises, "This is an elegant tale of suspense, mystery, and wry humor set in 1914 in Paterson, N.J....A surprising Kopp family secret, a kidnapped baby, and other twists consistently ratchet up the stakes throughout, resulting in an exhilarating yarn. " Booklist gives the book a starred review, saying, "A sheer delight to read and based on actual events, this debut historical mystery packs the unexpected, the unconventional, and a serendipitous humor into every chapter. Details from the historical record are accurately portrayed by villains and good guys alike, and readers will cross their fingers for the further adventures of Constance and Sheriff Heath."

NPR's review makes this cogent point: "It's a historical setting almost disheartening in its timeliness. Kaufman's bullying tactics (verified by court records down to the last threatening letter, because sometimes you can't make this stuff up) are all too familiar to many of today's women who have asserted themselves in public. And the Kopp sisters, who farm the family homestead by themselves, already operate under pressure from their brother Francis to settle nearby in town and diminish quietly, as is expected of them. It's one of this novel's many sly, unspoken jokes that Francis has so underestimated his sisters: They're often a mess... But they're a mess on their own terms, and Francis' demands hit close to the heart of Girl Waits With Gun -- at some point there's not much difference between a drunken bully and your own brother, if they both want you to sit down and be quiet. You'll have to fight it all."

Protagonist Constance Kopp eventually became America's first female deputy sheriff (Library Journal).  I'll be sure to read the sequels to this well written tale.