Constance Kopp, deputy sheriff of Hackensack, N.J., is doing her best to keep on keeping on. After a year in her role, she's more than capable of watching over the female inmates in her charge and (literally) chasing down the occasional thief. But 1916 is a contentious election year, and Constance's boss and champion, Sheriff Heath, is under scrutiny as he runs for Congress. While Constance cares little for public opinion, she's loath to jeopardize Sheriff Heath's future or her own. Despite all that, she still has a job to do, and she lives up to the title of her fourth adventure, Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit.
Amy Stewart's plot circles enjoyably around familiar characters: Sheriff Heath and his social-climbing wife, Cordelia; Constance's sisters, flighty Fleurette and stoic Norma (who spends most of the book building an elaborate pigeon cart); and Constance herself, fiercely committed to justice and terrified of losing the job she loves. The local political machinations are based in the reality of 1916, and they carry strong overtones for an election a century later: Stewart highlights the contrast between quiet, sober public servants and glad-handing politicians, letting the modern-day parallels speak for themselves. The book ends with intimations of change for Constance and the nation as war looms closer, but the indefatigable lady detective doubtless has more adventures in store.
Packed with incisive social commentary and colorful characters on both sides of the law, Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit is a stellar entry in a highly enjoyable series. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams