Publishers Weekly
07/26/2021
Set in 1919, Stewart’s fascinating seventh Kopp Sisters novel (after Dear Miss Kopp) finds the three sisters—Constance, Norma, and Fleurette—back home in Paterson, N.J., for the funeral of their brother, Francis, who died suddenly, leaving behind his pregnant wife, Bessie, and two children. Francis also left a mountain of debt. The sisters determine to help Bessie financially, but how many salaries would the women have to earn to match that of a man? The focus is on Fleurette, the youngest and prettiest of the sisters, who becomes a professional co-respondent, posing for decorous photographs with married men, which will be used as evidence in their divorce proceedings. She befriends a client and embarks on the road to becoming an investigator. Readers expecting to jump immediately into a mystery are advised to be patient. The book’s main appeal is the edifying way Stewart makes clear the condition of women a century ago without getting maudlin. The ending points to an exciting new development in the Kopps’ crime fighting careers. Series fans will eagerly await the next installment. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for the Kopp Sisters Novels “Any novel that features the Kopp sisters is going to be a riotous, unforgettable adventure.” —Bustle “An unforgettable, not-to-be-messed-with heroine . . . The rest is kickass history.” —Marie Claire “Excels in revisiting a vanished time, place, and sensibility.” —Washington Post “Amy Stewart uses her skills as a researcher to lovingly excavate the wonderful, entirely forgotten story of the Kopp sisters.” —USA Today “A fine, historically astute novel . . . The sisters’ personalities flower under Stewart’s pen.” —New York Times Book Review “Zippy, winsome . . . [A] cinematic story of the [Kopps], the siege instigated by their powerful enemy, and their brave efforts in the face of real violence.” —Los Angeles Times “Stewart gives us three sisters whose bond—scratchy and well-worn but stronger for it—is unspoken but effortless.” —NPR “Fans of strong female characters will find their new favorite heroine in Constance Kopp.” —Cosmopolitan “A smart, romping adventure, featuring some of the most memorable and powerful female characters I’ve seen in print for a long time. I loved every page as I followed the Kopp sisters through a too-good-to-be-true (but mostly true!) tale of violence, courage, stubbornness, and resourcefulness.” —Elizabeth Gilbert —
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-07-28
Youngest sibling Fleurette takes up sleuthing on her own in the seventh Kopp Sisters adventure.
It opens on a grim note: The sudden death of their brother, Francis, in January 1919 has left the sisters responsible for his pregnant widow, his two older children, and a mountain of debt they had no inkling of. Each of them makes painful sacrifices: Constance gives up her dream job with the FBI in Washington; Norma abandons her plan to live a freer life in Europe; and a bout with scarlet fever has damaged Fleurette’s voice and her nascent stage career. She’s delighted when a lawyer offers her a well-paying gig as a “professional co-respondent,” helping couples who need to prove adultery to get divorced by posing for compromising photos with the husbands. Although nothing even close to adultery occurs, Fleurette knows her sisters would disapprove, and indeed Constance explodes when she finds out. But Fleurette is sick of being told what to do by Constance and storms off; her ignorance of the fact (which readers of previous novels already know) that she is actually Constance’s illegitimate daughter makes their conflict in this volume particularly wrenching. However, the mysterious behavior of one of the lawyer’s clients gets Fleurette involved in what proves to be a confidence scam targeting vulnerable women, and her attempts to bring the wrongdoer to justice land her in jail. Her sisters come to the rescue, each making her individual, forceful contribution to the satisfying resolution of multiple mysteries: Norma’s overbearing nature is instrumental in unravelling Francis’ catastrophic finances; Constance enlists her law enforcement know-how to smooth over Fleurette’s legal troubles. (As usual, Stewart explains in endnotes what in this fact-based story actually happened and what she invented.) It’s a pleasure to watch Fleurette, rather tiresomely vain and self-centered in earlier novels, mature into a strong, independent woman very much in the Kopp mold. As always, Stewart leaves us with the welcome promise of more Kopp sisters adventures to come.
One of the strongest entries yet in this deservedly popular historical series.
