Being a woman in law enforcement has always carried a particular set of challenges. In her 2015 novel, Girl Waits with Gun, Amy Stewart illuminated those challenges based on the real-life career of Constance Kopp, a tall, outspoken, multilingual woman who (almost by accident) became one of the first female deputy sheriffs in the U.S. Furious when local businessman Henry Kaufman tried to take financial advantage of her family, Constance helped Sheriff Dan Heath of Bergen County, N.J., bring Kaufman and his gang of thugs to justice. In Lady Cop Makes Trouble, Constance returns in another early 20th-century adventure, chasing fugitives, serving as jail matron for Bergen County and trying to watch over her two younger sisters, one of whom is harboring dreams of a career on the stage. Stewart hits another bull's-eye with Constance's first-person narration, giving readers a sharp-eyed, pragmatic, dryly witty protagonist to root for. As the deputy continues her work while awaiting her official badge and status, Stewart shines a light on the tricky balance of being a professional woman in 1915. Constance relishes her job and does it well enough to be taken seriously, but she and Sheriff Heath must try not to offend the board of freeholders, who control the finances of the sheriff's department. Unlike another policewoman in nearby Paterson, Constance works for pay, and she sees herself as a law enforcement official rather than a motherly presence at the jail. The trick, as Stewart notes, is getting everyone else to see that, too.
When Baron von Matthesius, a slippery inmate accused of "serious charges" (on which the sheriff refuses to elaborate), escapes from the local hospital during a thunderstorm, Constance is disgraced and out of a job. Sheriff Heath, too, is called on the carpet for letting the Baron escape. Determined to track down the fugitive (and discover the true nature of those serious charges), Constance heads to New York City, chasing clues all over Manhattan and barely making it back home in time for her sister Fleurette's play performance. Meanwhile, her other sister, Norma, takes occasional breaks from her work training pigeons (to what end, no one is exactly sure) and offers acerbic and sometimes helpful advice.
While Constance is clearly the star of Stewart's narrative, the minor characters (including a lady reporter and an enigmatic Italian woman jailed for shooting a man) are also well drawn. Sheriff Heath, an honorable man juggling his demanding job and sullen, dissatisfied wife, is also a compelling character. The fast-paced action, wry dialogue and Constance's reflections on her chosen career combine to make Lady Cop Makes Trouble a highly satisfying adventure. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams
Shelf Talker: Amy Stewart serves up another rip-roaring historical adventure in her second novel featuring Constance Kopp, pioneering female deputy sheriff.