Amy Stewart has written a series of enthralling historical novels set against the backdrop of World War I and based on the forgotten true story of the extraordinary Constance Kopp and her intrepid sisters, Norma and Fleurette. Constance, who never did what anyone expected, was one of the first female deputy sheriffs in the United States. She was a 6-foot-tall, brave woman, the daughter of Austrian and Czech immigrants, who had no interest in marriage or domestic duties, which made her entirely unusual in 1914. When the story opens in the first novel, Girl Waits with Gun, she has been in hiding with her sisters for 15 years due to a family secret. When their farm and their lives are threatened by an unscrupulous factory owner, the local sheriff enlists her help. Constance steps up, defends her family courageously, and demonstrates her sterling qualities for police work. She then becomes an Under Sheriff. The books are thoroughly researched and filled with fascinating historical detail. They paint a detailed portrait of the fates and expectations of women in all walks of life just after the turn of the twentieth century, including factory workers, orphans, and girls sent to reformatories. You read about inequality, labor strife, immigration issues, women's rights. This was a time when women did not have the vote and were excluded from most professions. The next three novels in the series are: Lady Cop Makes Trouble (Book 2), Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions (Book 3), and Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit (Book 4). The events in the books are as based as closely as possible on real events in the lives of Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp. At the back of each book, Stewart provides interesting historical notes and sources.

 

"One of the best novels of the year: wonderful and very entertaining."
- New York Journal of Books

 

"At nearly 6 feet tall, Constance is a formidable character who can pack heat, deliver a zinger and catch a criminal without missing a beat. Based on the little-known story of the real Constance Kopp, one of America's first female deputy sheriffs, the novel is an entertaining and enlightening story of how far one woman will go to protect her family. A colorful and inventive adventure tale"- Washington Post

 

"Stewart deftly combines the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of early twentieth-century New York City with the story of three women who want to live life on their own terms."- Library Journal, starred review

"It's True Grit, New York style."- New York Post

AMY STEWART is the award-winning author of the Kopp Sister novels and two non-fiction books, The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants. Book 1 in the series, Girl Waits with Gun, was a National Bestseller, a New York Times Editors' Choice, a September 2015 Indie Next Pick, a Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book of 2015, one of USA Today's "New and Noteworthy Books," and one of Cosmopolitan's "24 Books to Read this Fall." Stewart and her husband own a bookstore in California called Eureka Books.