About the Book
A historical
mystery featuring the witty and wily Mary Handley, the first woman
detective in Brooklyn, as she tries to prove herself in a man's world
while solving a high profile murder.
Mary Handley is a not your typical late-nineteenth century lady. She's fiery, clever, daring—and she’s not about to conform to the gender norms of the day. Not long after being fired from her job at the hat factory for insubordinate behavior, Mary finds herself at the murder scene of Charles Goodrich, the brother of a prominent alderman and former bookkeeper of Thomas Edison. When Mary proves her acumen as a sleuth, she is hired by the Brooklyn police department—as the city’s first female policewoman—to solve the crime. The top brass of the department expect her to fail, but Mary has other plans. As she delves into the mystery, she finds herself questioning the likes of J. P. Morgan, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla. Mary soon discovers the key to solving the case goes well beyond finding a murderer and depends on her ability to unearth the machinations of the city’s most prominent and respected public figures, men who will go to great lengths to protect their secrets.
Much like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and Maisie Dobbs, Second Street Station presents a portrait of a world plunging into modernity through the eyes of a clever female sleuth. Mary Handley is an unforgettable protagonist whose wit, humor, and charm will delight readers from the very first page. (Goodreads)
Mary Handley is a not your typical late-nineteenth century lady. She's fiery, clever, daring—and she’s not about to conform to the gender norms of the day. Not long after being fired from her job at the hat factory for insubordinate behavior, Mary finds herself at the murder scene of Charles Goodrich, the brother of a prominent alderman and former bookkeeper of Thomas Edison. When Mary proves her acumen as a sleuth, she is hired by the Brooklyn police department—as the city’s first female policewoman—to solve the crime. The top brass of the department expect her to fail, but Mary has other plans. As she delves into the mystery, she finds herself questioning the likes of J. P. Morgan, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla. Mary soon discovers the key to solving the case goes well beyond finding a murderer and depends on her ability to unearth the machinations of the city’s most prominent and respected public figures, men who will go to great lengths to protect their secrets.
Much like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and Maisie Dobbs, Second Street Station presents a portrait of a world plunging into modernity through the eyes of a clever female sleuth. Mary Handley is an unforgettable protagonist whose wit, humor, and charm will delight readers from the very first page. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts
I love a good mystery but I also like a well written storyline. This book has a unique history/mystery aspect to it but the writing style was difficult. As a reader, I felt like there was way too much information being told, each person's outfit and hairstyle etc. It would almost seem this book was written more for a movie and that is not what I like to read. I liked the setting and the little known facts about Edison and Tesla in particular. There is a rape scene and language that I wasn't expecting, though I think the rape was realistic and common. The author really liked writing about Mary and Charles lovemaking, as said in the book, and that got really irritating for me. It had nothing to do with the storyline and I didn't really care when or how they did it.
I can see that there will be more books to follow this one but this one disappointed me.
Three stars.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."
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