It's New York City in 1912. The Titanic disaster is all over the newspapers and everyone seems to agree that ladies have no business running companies. Such is the life of Margot Baxter Harriman, who took over the running of the family business, B&H Foods, after her father died. Between her father's well-meaning associates (now her employees) and the board of directors, Margot spends just as much time trying to convince them of her worth, skill and knowledge as she does in the actual running of the company. And running the company is what she's doing when she shows up at the office early one morning to collect some documents, only to find Mrs. Gilroy, her father's long-time devoted and former assistant, dead. Next to Mrs. Gilroy's body? A half finished note, addressed to Margot, implying that there are shenanigans happening at the company - shenanigans that are hurting people and that Mrs. Gilroy's conscience can't take it any more. The company and Margot's good name would be lost if these vague allegations are true. The scandal would be too much. So she pockets the note before calling the police, who rule Mrs. Gilroy's death as natural causes, although the whole thing seems hinky enough to them that they start sniffing around. What Margot needs is a private investigator, a very discreet one.
Who she gets is Loretta "Rett" Mancini, a young woman running (and covering) for her father who has gotten increasingly agitated and forgetful of late. When Margot offers her the job of investigating B&H Foods, Rett jumps at the offer.
Readers say all the time they love competent characters, but what I've noticed over the years is that they're not easy to write. Authors can sometimes confuse competent with perfect - and y'all perfect is boring as hell. Nobody wants to read about perfect, it makes for a dull story. Neither Margot nor Rett are perfect in the sense that they have challenges. Besides being women running businesses, they're both lesbians. 1912 is not safe for them by any stretch of the imagination. They have very few rights as women (hell, they can't even vote yet), and homosexuality is a crime. But these women are smart and intuitive without being insufferably perfect know-it-alls. They're the type of women I'd want to be friends with.
The other great thing about this book? The mystery. Y'all I have been out here in these suspense streets for many years and while I read all manner of books within the genre, I'll admit I do get burnt out on serial killers and violence against women. The shenanigans that Mrs. Gilroy's half-finished note implies are directly tied to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the increased enforcement of that law. The implication being that B&H Foods is cutting corners and that people are getting sick. The question being, who what and how. That's what Margot and Rett need to find out before a scandal erupts and Margot loses everything.
There is a faint whiff of romance in this story, but not between Rett and Margot. Rett's in a committed relationship and Margot has a dalliance (will it turn into something more in future books?) with an acquaintance of Rett's who helps them out while on the case.
This read like a breathe of fresh air to me. Dynamic, interesting and competent heroines, a well-drawn setting, and a well-thought out compelling mystery that didn't feel like a tired retread of plots we've seen a million times before. I sank right into this and am crossing my fingers we get more Harriman and Mancini adventures.
Final Grade = B
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