Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

I admit I choose this book because of the stylish cover and provocative title assuming it would be an historical mystery similar to the Maisie Dobbs series. It had that same well researched, early 20th century, proto-feminist vibe. I got the well researched part right. I was about ⅓ of the way through wondering if I should switch to something easier like The Hammett Hex or Caramel Crush (my Trump era escapist reading list has been heavy on the cozy mysteries.) I glanced at the book’s endnotes and noticed a photo of Constance Kopp dated 1916 followed by a list of sources including documents and newspaper articles recounting a court case involving the Kopp sisters, Constance, Norma and Fleurette, and Henry Kaufman a wealthy scion of a silk magnate associated with the Black Hand. 
 

The Kopp sister’s buggy is hit by Henry Kaufman’s motor car in Paterson, NJ. The women and the buggy, but not the horse, suffer damage and Constance requests that Kaufman pay to repair the buggy. The buggy is the sister’s only means of transportation and they are of limited means. The three women live in a farmhouse in Bergen County, New Jersey and cherish their independence. Because Kaufman was drinking when he hit them Constance, the eldest, assumes he will take responsibility for the accident and pay the repair bill. He doesn’t. In fact rather than pay for the repairs he begins to harass the sisters, going as far as to  stalk them and threaten their lives with his Black Hand compatriots.

Imagine if you will a trust fund kid who has access to too much money and has never been held responsible for his misdeeds. Who doesn’t think the lives of three ordinary women matter. Who uses company money to pal around with his friends, some of whom are rumored to be gangsters. A wealthy young man who thinks poor and working women are disposable and available to him sexually because he is rich. Maybe even their boss. Maybe this book is starting to feel a little too familiar and I need to revisit those cupcake murders. Because this is a book about three ordinary women standing up to a rich, white man who thinks they don’t matter. That he is entitled to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants as long as they have less power and less money than he does. Kaufman has the local police on his side but the sisters have Heath, a rogue Sheriff who wants to bring down Kaufman’s gang.

The novel is a fictionalized account but all of the key elements of the story are true right down to an article in the Philadelphia Sun headlined, “Girl Waits with Gun” (11/23/1914) and the court case that ended the threats to the Kopp sister’s lives and settled the bill for the damaged buggy. There is lot’s of action, a juicy backstory, snappy writing and a side mystery that will keep you reading. Although Constance is the lead character all three of the Kopp sisters hold their own and you will root for them and despite the odds they win. You might even say they persisted.