Lady Cop Makes Trouble

July 25, 2016
In this comic mystery set in 1915 and based on actual events, Constance Kopp, the first female deputy sheriff in Bergen County, N.J., is still packing a pistol and an attitude after her first crime-fighting adventures in Girl Waits with Gun. Stewart’s second volume in her Kopp Sisters Series is a clever, suspenseful, and funny tale of a formidable woman facing crime, politics, social stigma, all while nailing evildoers. Constance has proved to be a capable deputy in a male-dominated profession, but her new career is in jeopardy when a prisoner she is guarding—Baron von Matthesius, a sneaky, dangerous con man facing undisclosed but serious charges—escapes her custody. She is demoted to jail matron, but when the scandal threatens the sheriff and his family, she vows to catch the baron, save the sheriff’s job, and redeem her own reputation. Across Bergen and Passaic Counties and into New York City, Constance investigates the baron’s past, known associates, and recent activities, asking questions nobody else asks and following leads other cops overlook. As she pursues the baron and his accomplices, she also becomes involved in a curious murder and a stolen property case. Her sisters provide comic relief, Norma with her carrier-pigeon hobby and Fleurette with her acting classes and dreams of Broadway. Fans of the first Kopp Sisters novel will find another treat in this follow-up.

August 1, 2016

Having successfully become a Bergen County, NJ, deputy sheriff (in Girl Waits with Gun), Constance Kopp gets herself--and the sheriff--into trouble by accidentally letting a prisoner escape. Relegated to monitoring the female inmates in the local jail, she is determined to prove herself and get back into the sheriff's good graces. She sets out on her own to find the escapee, who is an accomplished con man. Supported by her indomitable sisters and a few newfound friends, Constance unravels the con man's history as she tracks him through New York City and New Jersey. VERDICT Constance and her sisters are every bit as enjoyable in this outing as their first. Stewart deftly combines the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of early 20th-century New York City with the story of three women who want to live life on their own terms. The addition of supporting female characters who are also pushing societal boundaries is a welcome touch to the series.--Sarah Cohn, Manhattan Coll. Lib., Bronx, NY

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