Girl in Disguise: A Novel

by Greer Macallister

For the first female detective, respect is hard to come by. Danger is not.

With no money and no husband, Kate Warne finds herself with few choices. The streets of 1856 Chicago offer a desperate widow mostly trouble and ruin—unless that widow has a knack for manipulation and an unusually quick mind. In a bold move that no other woman has tried, Kate convinces the legendary Allan Pinkerton to hire her as a detective.

Battling criminals and coworkers alike, Kate immerses herself in the dangerous life of an operative, winning the right to tackle some of the agency's toughest investigations. But is the woman she's becoming—capable of any and all lies, swapping identities like dresses—the true Kate? Or has the real disguise been the good girl she always thought she was?

Inspired by the real story of Kate Warne, this spirited novel follows the detective's rise during one of the nation's times of crisis, bringing to life a fiercely independent woman whose forgotten triumphs helped sway the fate of the country.

• ISBN10: 1492635227
• ISBN13: 9781492635222
• Publish Date: 21 March 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks, Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

Turns out not much is known about Kate Warne, The Pinkerton Agency’s first female operative, but that doesn’t stop author Greer Macallister from writing a compelling tale about a woman and the love of her job.

I was expecting Girl in Disguise to unfold a bit different than it did. I was expecting to read about an unusual woman with a penchant for solving crimes and perhaps be treated to a single mystery with a bit of backstory about Mrs. Warne. The story took on a bit of a different shape connecting several different cases together while building Kate’s character and showing her dedication to her job and her country. It was a pleasant surprise.

Kate ranks right up there, in my mind, with Alexandra Bergson from Willa Cather’s O! Pioneers. A woman willing to deny herself simple pleasures in an effort to survive, overcoming life’s obstacles to find a rewarding self-made life beyond those struggles. I admired Kate’s tenacity and ingenuity. I do wish that many of the case files from Mrs. Warne’s days with The Agency hadn’t been lost in Chicago’s Great Fire as her story is certainly one I wouldn’t mind reading more about.

I have to hand it to Ms. Macallister for taking a few scant details and introducing me to a new historical heroine to admire. Her compelling story gives strength and encouragement in the darkest known part of American history to date.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

[Ashley]

It was a good book, but it didn't quite end up being what I was hoping.

The story read more like a biography in the sense that it covered Kate's entire career (or at least a big portion of it). We're talking like 10+ years. This made me feel a little distanced from the book and the characters. The romance at the end felt a little insta-lovely, but I think that's largely because of the timeline reasons. It just felt like we were getting an overview of everything and it didn't stop to really dig deep enough for me to FEEL.

I would have preferred it if the book honed in on one particular case and really dug deep into the characters, emotions, etc. I would have been a lot more attached and invested!