TEST
Pinkerton agents are a fascinating part of American history, and yet they appear only rarely in historical fiction. Imagine my pleasure when I picked up Almost a Lady and found that the heroine is a Pinkerton agent who isn’t afraid to use her pistol and pearl-handled stiletto.
Willow Hastings, as her name would suggest, is not your average 19th century lady. She is single, has had a non-marital relationship (and I do mean sex), and she works for the Pinkerton Agency of New York. Those details alone were enough to appeal to this reviewer. Some might find her lack of honesty trying, but it actually fits with the life she’s had. An abusive childhood and very real adult responsibilities make her outer life a bit of a game. When she’s in the midst of a case, and sometimes when she’s not, Willow lies without a qualm. Or as she would call it, “role-playing.” This aspect of her character is frankly only a problem when the lying is a result of story – rather than character – concerns.
Willow’s strength as a character is balanced by a hero who is equally strong. Brandt Donovan is a security chief for the railroad company who finds himself intrigued by the woman he’s seen dressed as a man, singing in a brothel, and primly dressed as a society lady. None of it fazes him and he is able to match her machinations, plot for plot.
The two of them are brought together, after a somewhat contrived introduction, over a case involving the murder of another Pinkerton agent. Willow discovers her colleague just moments after he was stabbed at the train station. Both of these facts explain how Willow and Brandt end up working as a team to find a serial killer who preys on prostitutes. Their teamwork isn’t always productive, but their chemistry is palpable. It’s refreshing to find a female lead in a historical who not only realizes what she’s feeling but is also comfortable acting on those feelings.
The weakest element for me in Almost a Lady was the mystery. A prologue sets up the murders of the prostitutes, but it also provides enough clues so that the killer is immediately obvious when he makes an appearance. This isn’t a case of bad plotting; it’s a choice the author made that undermines the story. The suspense of Willow and Brandt’s foray into high society is lost because of this knowledge. It’s hard to care about the mystery when the answers are provided so soon. There’s more suspense created by the secret in Willow’s past than there is in the killings.
An additional caveat: at times this book is a little confusing if you haven’t read Betts’ earlier books. This is especially true with the epilogue, which is packed full of people who aren’t mentioned anywhere else in the book. Clearly they are returning figures. That’s fine, but they’re mentioned so briefly that I couldn’t make heads or tails of who they were. These appearances bookend the story which started with Brandt seeking out Willow because mutual friends asked him to. Who those friends were or how they are connected to the Brandt (or Willow for that matter) is never really explained. They send Brandt on his quest and they show up at the wedding – that’s it. For a reader who hasn’t read other books by Betts, they served no purpose other then to confuse.
Almost a Lady is worth a look for those who are looking for a different kind of historical romance heroine. Though there are some plotting problems, Willow and Brandt are well-defined and make a terrific couple. I can easily envision a series of novels for them in which they trade off investigations – she for the Pinkerton agency and Brandt for the railroad. I’d eagerly follow that series.
Grade: B-
Book Type: American Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 17/03/01
Publication Date: 2001
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.