The Streel

Starred review from March 9, 2020
In 1877, 15-year-old Brigid Reardon, the narrator of this superior series launch from Logue (the Claire Watkins mysteries), and her 16-year-old brother, Seamus, are dispatched by their impoverished Irish parents to America. Seamus seeks his fortune out West, while Brigid, who knows she must go into domestic service, winds up with the wealthy Hunt family in St. Paul, Minn. Just as she catches the eye of handsome heir Charlie Hunt, she receives news of her mother’s death. After praying to St. Brigid, she realizes she needs to be with her only family in America and sets out to join Seamus in Deadwood, a raw gold-mining town in the Dakota Territory. Soon after her arrival, Seamus is accused of murdering a prostitute he was in love with. After Seamus flees, it’s up to Brigid to find the real killer. Her investigation is hampered by male reluctance to see women as anything except wives or whores—and further complicated by Brigid’s uncertainty about how smooth-talking Charlie views her. A well-constructed plot, lilting prose, and a heroine who’s determined to escape constricting female roles make this an exceptional regional historical. Readers will look forward to Brigid’s further adventures.

March 15, 2020
Logue kicks off a new series with a compelling narrative of Irish immigration, determination, and murder in 1887. Fifteen-year-old Brigid Reardon and her 16-year-old brother, Seamus, reluctantly leave Ireland for the United States, forced out by the potato famine. At sea they meet Paddy and Billy Hennessy, who save Brigid from being raped by the steerage captain. Once they reach New York, the three boys take jobs with the railroad, and Brigid takes one at a boardinghouse. When the boys end up working a gold claim in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, Seamus sends Brigid money to go to St. Paul, where she takes up a much better position with the wealthy Hunt family, who treat her well. The son of the house, Charles Hunt, is strikingly attractive and dangerous to women, and his improper attentions force Brigid to seek a home with Seamus in Deadwood. After a harrowing trip, Brigid is welcomed by the boys, who share a house and work their claim when they aren't enjoying the pleasures of the town. Seamus introduces Brigid to his love, Lily, a streel (or prostitute) whose beauty makes her wildly popular. On Christmas Eve, an exhausted Brigid bows out early from their party. While looking for firewood the next morning, she discovers Lily stabbed and partially covered by snow. Seamus is forced to run when Sheriff John Manning, who hates him, arrives along with Al Swearingen, Lily's boss, looking to arrest him for murder. Seamus escapes, leaving Brigid to seek evidence that will exonerate him while keeping house and even working at the mine. Deadwood is a wild amalgam of small businesses, hotels, theaters, and bars peopled by miners, whores, and a thriving Chinese community, all of which Brigid finds fascinating. When Charles shows up with an offer to buy the mining claim, life becomes exponentially more dangerous for her. The easily solved mystery introduces a gritty, charming, clever protagonist whose musings provide a perfect period feel.

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