Allan Pinkerton opened a detective agency in Chicago after police politics did not suit him. Kate Warne is widowed and has no family, so she answers an advertisement for operatives, and persuades Pinkerton to give her a trial. We meet her during the first case as she pretends to be a bar prostitute to catch the eye of a bank robber. But another agent is already on the case and by working together they can accomplish more.

To Kate's annoyance, some folks assume she has been hired as an attractive woman around the office. She is determined to prove her mettle and absorbs all her lessons, learning how to fire a pistol and acquiring silk gloves to play a wealthy woman. With a backstage background, playing parts comes easily. However it's not long before she realises she'll have to be twice as good as the men in order to be accepted.

The other main characters include Pinkerton detectives, some of whom have something to hide, Kate's reliable landlady, and those suspected of involvement in crimes. Pinkerton does not investigate scandal or marriage issues, and he wants to keep on the right side of the law. Counterfeiting, blackmail, fraud and burglary are standard, and Kate is also called upon to resolve murder cases. All come across as strong characters, but our heroine is strongest of all, dedicating herself more and more to her amazing double life and succeeding beyond anyone's expectations. I enjoyed the historical and social background, the real figures of the day such as Abraham Lincoln and depth of the settings.

THE MAGICIAN'S LIE is the title of author Greer Macallister's debut crime novel, and after GIRL IN DISGUISE I would be keen to read that one. Any fans of historical crime, of amateur sleuth stories or of reconstructed biographies of women in earlier times and interesting jobs, should get on well with GIRL IN DISGUISE. I love how the heroine could achieve so much in a male-dominated field.

Book Summary