Title: Girl in Disguise
Author: Greer Macallister
Publication Date: March 22, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 9781492635222
Summary: Inspired
by the real story of investigator Kate Warne, this spirited novel
follows the detective's rise during one of the nation's times of crisis,
bringing to life a fiercely independent woman whose forgotten triumphs
helped sway the fate of the country.
With
no money and no husband, Kate Warne finds herself with few choices. The
streets of 1856 Chicago offer a desperate widow mostly trouble and
ruin―unless that widow has a knack for manipulation and an unusually
quick mind. In a bold move that no other woman has tried, Kate convinces
the legendary Allan Pinkerton to hire her as a detective.
Battling
criminals and coworkers alike, Kate immerses herself in the dangerous
life of an operative, winning the right to tackle some of the agency's
toughest investigations. But is the woman she's becoming―capable of any
and all lies, swapping identities like dresses―the true Kate? Or has the
real disguise been the good girl she always thought she was?
My Thoughts:
Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Girl in Disguise was a positive surprise for me. It
exceeded my expectations, because I confess I thought it would be no more than a well-written,
enjoyable but all-in-all average detective novel. That’s what I believed I’d
get after having read Greer Macallister’s previous novel, The Magician’s Lie. I was mistaken. Greer Macallister did a very good job with her second novel.
There isn’t
much data left for us that would give information about Kate Warne’s – the
first female Pinkerton detective’s – activities and when I googled her name
looking for pictures of her, I only found one or two photographs of a young
man. The captions suggest the person on these pictures might be her, but I’m
not convinced (was she that masculine? Well, who knows...).
Given the
lack of information, Greer Macallister had an awful lot of freedom with this
book, which she took advantage of and wrote something that can capture the
attention of those who are interested in 19th century American history and also
easily captivates the ones who like reading about female pioneers.
The first
thing Kate Warne – our heroine – had to do after getting the job at the
Pinkerton Detective Agency was to get herself accepted, that’s for sure. In the
story most of the men don’t think it was a the greatest idea of Pinkerton to
hire a woman and I have the feeling this wasn’t any different in reality.
Kate had to
show she had skills that were needed for the job and she had to hammer some
generalizations out of the male detectives’ head; for example, that women are
too fragile or that they break down in every situation that generates emotions
in them. The writer handled Kate’s early difficulties very well, these problems
were interlaced with the earlier cases, through which Kate proved her
professionalism to her peers.
The story isn’t
told in one tight narrative; a period of Kate’s life is shown to us through the
cases she dealt with. To tell the truth, for a while I didn’t believe it would
build up to anything, but in the end I got a whole picture and I was satisfied.
The biggest
cohesive chunk in the book was the Civil War part and that was the one I
enjoyed the most (other than the parts with Lincoln in it. Did you know Kate
Warne helped prevent an earlier assassination attempt against Lincoln? She practically
smuggled the soon-to-be president from Baltimore to Washington D.C., so he
could be inaugurated. Yeah, she was that cool).
During the Civil
War the Pinkertons gathered intelligence and that was the most dangerous thing
they ever had to do. Kate fought in her own way in the salons and dining rooms
of suspected enemy spies, pretending, knowing if she got caught she would be in
real trouble.
The romance
that evolved between two agents in the story was unexpected, but welcomed from
my part. A well-inserted and cleverly executed romance can never ruin a book.
There were
only two things I wasn’t happy about. One was how Kate reacted when she found out
that one of the detectives was gay. Could it really be that some adult people
were that naïve and ignorant in that time they didn’t know gay people existed?
Maybe, unfortunately I can imagine that. For her it seemed unnatural and she
didn’t understand why the guy ‘did it’, which is a shame, but let’s attribute
it to ignorance, shall we?
However, what
I couldn’t tolerate for the life of me was when she decided to involve the same
guy in a case in which he had to seduce a woman and she deliberately asked Pinkerton
to send him. He was the best looking agent and therefore fit for the job, although
I can’t help but think she wanted to ‘cure’ him somehow with this little affair
and that was unsettling to say the least.
If I don’t
count the character’s above mentioned flaw, I would say I liked Kate. However,
for some reason with Macallister’s novels I always feel there is a transparent
wall between me and her characters. I see them, I like what they do, I can even
take a liking to their person, but I can never get close enough. If she writes
another book, I’d like to see that wall shatter.
Overall, there was a lot of action, fascinating detective work, a good amount of travelling... it was a thrilling adventure from start to finish.
The Author’s
note says this novel is a love story between a woman and her work and I
couldn’t agree more. Kate Warne is a historical character that can inspire
people, especially women and I’m glad I was introduced to her through this
book.
Praise for Girl in Disguise
"The best book I read in 2016 hasn't been published yet. Historical fiction at its best... a rollocking tale." – Publishers Weekly
"Electrifying... a rollocking nineteenth-century thrill ride." – Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Waits with Gun
"An exciting, well-crafted historical novel. Loaded with suspense and action, this a well-told, superb story." – Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"You're going to devour GIRL IN DISGUISE." – Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue
"A celebration of a singual woman's life that's guided by facts but features some inviting imaginings". – Kirkus
"Macallister's
story is a rip-roaring, fast-paced treat to read, with compelling
characters, twisted villains, and mounds of historical details adeptly
woven into the tale of a courageous woman who loves her job more than
anything or anyone else." - Booklist
Buy Links:
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/2kxs001
About the Author:
Raised
in the Midwest, Greer Macallister is a poet, short story writer,
playwright and novelist whose work has appeared in publications such as
The North American Review, The Missouri Review, and The Messenger. Her
plays have been performed at American University, where she earned her
MFA in Creative Writing. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kFpk0y
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