Girl in disguise

Title:

Girl in disguise

Author:

Macallister, Greer, author.

ISBN:

9781492635222

Personal Author:

Macallister, Greer, author.

Publication Information:

Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark, [2017]

Physical Description:

308 pages ; 24 cm

Abstract:

Widowed and in need of a job, Kate Warne convinces Allan Pinkerton that a female detective can go places and do things a male detective cannot. Once hired, Kate becomes skilled at lock picking and surveillance, but she is best in disguise--as a prostitute, rich matron, spinster, clerk, Southern belle--an expert liar, playing a role. She investigates burglaries, bank robberies, embezzlement, counterfeiting, blackmail, and murder. Eventually earning the respect of her fellow detectives, Kate comes up with an ingenious plan to protect President Lincoln from a Southern assassination plot. During the Civil War, she must fight against a formidable adversary--notorious Southern spy Mrs. Rose Greenhow. Well-told and loaded with suspense and action, this historical novel about Kate Warne, the first female detective in 1850s Chicago, is superb.-- adapted from book review.

Personal Subject:

Warne, Kate, -1868-Fiction.

Corporate Subject:

Pinkerton's National Detective Agency -- Fiction.

Subject Term:

Women detectives -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Fiction.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Biographical fiction.

Document ID:

SD_ILS:2253236

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Betty Rodriguez Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	MACALLI GR Girl	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Clovis Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	MACALLI GR Girl	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Corcoran Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC MACALLISTER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hanford Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC MACALLISTER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Huron Branch Library (Coalinga-Huron)	Searching... Unknown	Fiction Area	F MAC	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lemoore Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC MACALLISTER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Politi Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	MACALLI GR Girl	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Visalia Library (Tulare Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Fiction Area	FIC MACALLIS GREER	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

From the USA Today Bestselling author of The Magician's Lie

"Macallister is becoming a leading voice in strong, female-driven historical fiction. Exciting, frightening, and unspeakably moving..."--Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingways's Girl

For the first daring female Pinkerton detective, respect is hard to come by, but danger and spies are everywhere.

In the tumultuous years of the Civil War, the streets of Chicago offer a woman mostly danger and ruin--unless that woman is Kate Warne. As an undercover Pinkerton detective, Kate is able to infiltrate the seedy side of the city in disguises that her fellow spies just can't manage. She's a seductress, an exotic foreign medium, a rich train passenger--all depending on the day and the robber, thief, or murderer she's been assigned to nab.

But is it only her detective work that makes her a daring spy and a clever liar? Or is the real disguise the good girl she always thought she was? As the Civil War marches closer, Kate takes on her most pressing job ever. The nation's future is at risk, and she's no longer sure where her disguise ends and the very real danger begins.

With magnificent historical detail, Girl in Disguise brings the adventures of one turn-of-the-century woman to tense, page-turning life.

Also by Greer Macallister:

The Magician's Lie

Woman 99

Author Notes

Greer Macallister received a MFA in creative writing at American University. She is a poet, short story writer, and playwright. Her work has appeared in several publications including The North American Review, The Missouri Review, and The Messenger. Her first novel, The Magician's Lie, was published in 2015.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Macallister (The Magician's Lie) pens an exciting, well-crafted historical novel featuring Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective in 1856 Chicago. Kate is a widow and needs a job, convincing Allan Pinkerton that a female detective can go places and do things a male detective cannot. Once hired, Kate becomes skilled at lock picking and surveillance, but she is best in disguise-as a prostitute, rich matron, spinster, clerk, Southern belle, doting sister, and false friend-an expert liar, playing a role. She investigates burglaries, bank robberies, embezzlement, counterfeiting, blackmail, and murder. The Pinkerton Detective Agency is a man's world, and Kate is forced to prove herself, especially when someone tries to discredit her. She eventually earns the respect of her fellow detectives, learning a secret to be used later. Kate carries a pistol, but her wit, careful observation, and boldness see her through tricky and unexpected situations with desperate, dangerous criminals. In 1861 Kate comes up with an ingenious plan to protect President Lincoln from a Southern assassination plot, and she later works as a Pinkerton spy in the South during the Civil War, vowing revenge on whoever betrayed her lover and focusing on a formidable adversary, the notorious real-life Southern spy Mrs. Rose Greenhow. Loaded with suspense and action, this is a well-told, superb story. Agent: Elizabeth Weed, the Book Group. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

The story of the very first female detective traces her growth from determined young woman to seasoned pro.Though she was not a woman who expected to work, as few women of the 1850s did, Kate Warne is determined to find a position that suits her. Though she's a widow desperate for income, Kate eschews this identity, cultivating instead a reputation as a woman with a quick mind. When she applies for a position at the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Kate uses her powers of persuasion to convince Allan Pinkerton that having a woman on staff might be of particular value. Pinkerton gives Kate a trial case, and while she ends it at odds with fellow detective Tim Bellamy, she lands the job and becomes Pinkerton's first lady agent. Macallister (The Magician's Lie, 2015) follows Kate through her years with Pinkerton's, with each case serving as the next chapter in the serial storyline. Kate finds an ally in colleague Graham DeForest and potential adversaries in Bellamy and new hire Jack Mortenson. The animosity of the latter becomes more prescient when Kate is put in charge of her own department of lady detectives, and Mortenson's lack of respect for women becomes a serious problem. The story follows Kate as she comes into her own, from missteps and mix-ups, like losing key pieces of evidence, to protecting President Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt. An Author's Note provides some of the details on the differences between the fiction and Kate's true history, though those immersed in the plot may not want to know the difference. A celebration of a singular woman's life that's guided by facts but features some inviting imaginings. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

The title's disguised girl is Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton agent, hired by Alan Pinkerton in 1856. Experienced as a child in assuming costumed roles for her father's scam operations, the adult Kate quickly becomes one of Pinkerton's best detectives, while also constantly battling prejudice against a woman doing a man's job and by reputation-damaging rumors, not to mention putting her life at risk. Authentic historical details lead readers right into the gritty criminal underbelly of Chicago (and elsewhere) and into the agency's role in fighting crime: infiltrating, investigating, and bringing down gangs, thieves, and killers. Macallister's story is a rip-roaring, fast-paced treat to read, with compelling characters, twisted villains, and mounds of historical details adeptly woven into the tale of a courageous woman who loves her job more than anything or anyone else. Kate's matter-of-fact courage and quick thinking may remind readers of Constance Kopp in Amy Stewart's mystery Girl Waits with Gun (2015). Those fascinated by Kate's adventures and personality might also appreciate Pinkerton's Secret (2008), by Eric Lerner, which takes a different tack on the relationship between Pinkerton and Warne.--Baker, Jen Copyright 2017 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Macallister follows up The Magician's Lie with another stellar historical novel featuring a fierce female lead. It's Chicago, 1856, and Kate Warne, widowed and penniless, manages to convince the great Allan Pinkerton to hire her as one of his detectives. From there, Kate fights her way to becoming one of Pinkerton's elite squad. Her talents lie in deception and manipulation, taking on the role of countless women, all in the name of getting the job done. Her work takes Kate from her former life of near-ruin to one of danger, deviousness, and trickery as she establishes herself in a man's world. From Chicago's mean streets to the battle lines of the Civil War, Kate's dangerous journey is a never-ending thrill ride. Macallister's masterly storytelling brings her characters to life, and the skillfully handled suspense never wavers. Verdict Inspired by true events, this is a sure crowd-pleaser for lovers of historical fiction and chilling plotlines.-Kristen Droesch, Div. of Libs. UX Dept., New York Univ. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.