Louisa is a journalist with an assistant. A blind older woman asks them to look into the disappearance of her companion. Women of all ages and ethnic background are being grabbed. Some of being shipping out of America. So let the research begin. Actually a good storyline and a well worth the time to read this book.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Trish MacEnulty

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

This book was ok but there was spots where I lost interest. I would be willing to see what other books the author has .

Set in America in the early 20th century the story is told by two strong willed women - Louisa and Ellen. A journalist and her secretary. The chapters alternate between them. The story revolves around abduction of young vulnerable women, mostly Caucasian and Asian but some Native American, to sell into prostitution. Locations move around the country from the East Coast cities to Montana and the west, Buffalo Bill and other historical figures feature. The thrust is the position of women in society and how that varies by their birth; suffragettes are in there as are politicians with the occasional one being in favour of equality (to a degree at least). An interesting read, sensitively written given the subject matter. Some aspects of travel seemed rather far-fetched but, if you had the money and the status, you may well have managed. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy..

I thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this Review copy. All views expressed in this review are my own and based on my reading of this book. Some of the comments were made as I progressed in this book and I have not tried editing them as it expresses my contiguous thoughts as I proceeded with the story.

This is a period drama with the story based in the early 1900's, 1912 onwards to be precise in America. This book is a story of the times in America with information pertaining to the period and has mentions of the government, the political flavor, women's rights or the lack thereof, women's voting rights, Buffalo Bill, the native Americans and focuses chiefly on white and yellow slavery and prostitution that was rampant around that time.

This was my first book by the author and have started with this which is the second story in the series and although can be read as a standalone but there are times when as a reader I felt cloistered by my lack of reading the first book. Story is independent but the interactions of the characters and some of their reactions leave a gap in reading pleasure.

The book touches upon a very delicate aspect of history pertaining to white/yellow slavery and force prostitution and how women were second hand people if they were from white households and were commodities from any other stock whether black, colored, yellow or native American. The story also touches upon the racism in the community where people in power and in govt. posts refused to recognise the rights of nonwhites and had derogatory terms to describe them. Trish is not hesitant to call a spade a spade here and is very upfront and does not shy away from using the terminology or putting words to those kind of actions.
The story also touches upon the few women in authority positions and their own prejudices contoured by the community. The oldest profession forms a significant part of this story and we see all kinds of characters involved. The story also briefly goes into lesbian entanglements territory and the author writes about the hate that that community faces in the story.

The story is a reasonably entertaining read and Trish has the pulse of the reader. I was able to read over 60% of the story while waiting for an optometrist appointment. Our protagonists are feisty women with Louisa having had a brutal incident in the previous book which colors her actions here. She's a journalist of sorts and is aided by her assistant Ellen and there are other support characters who add strength to the story. This is a murder mystery where slavery and prostitution form the basis and are intricately entwined in the story. The quest to find a blind woman's companion takes the duo deep into the wild west. The story is told from the dual views of the protagonists and more often than not hits the right notes. The fringe characters are also interesting and the use of well known real life characters of the time like Buffalo Bill and the Prince of Monaco adds the glamor to the story.

The book could have done with a small brief about the incidents of the previous story maybe in the form of a prologue to get acquainted with the incidents and the characters. The story would have gained strength and become a enjoyable reading for someone being introduced to the series.
I liked the story and would like to read more books by the author and recommend this story.
My rating is 3.5 star but primarily because I normally do not read period stories but the book appealed enough for me to go for 4 stars instead of 3.

Sounded interesting, but I was so uninvested in the story. It fell flat for me and I had to force myself to get about 40% through before I called it quits.

This is entertaining reading for all adults who enjoy good fiction. The main protagonists are an intelligent and feisty female journalist and her equally competent and protective assistant. We see that they have their own histories to contend with. Part murder mystery and part journalistic detective story this book is set in 1930s America. Touching on Government, money, Suffragettes, debutantes, Native Americans, the Wild West and slavery and prostitution. This second book in a series can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the first or other books in the series, but I definitely want to now. Thank you to Trish MacEnulty, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.