Nell: Marshal of Bodie

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and having visited Bodie several years ago I found it easy to visualise the setting. Nell finds herself deputised after her father, the Marshall of Bodie is shot. Bodie is a remote and lawless mining community, isolated and in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Nell has ambitions to be a Pinkerton detective, but her gender and disability could hold her back. The opportunity of bring deputy Marshall could give her a chance to prove herself - it could also land her in a whole lot of trouble, I loved Nell - a tough and believable protagonist fighting against all the prejudices against her,
Great book - I can’t wait for the next one,

After Nells Sheriff Father is gunned down she and her Irish Chinese best friend set out to find the killer. They manage to get deputized despite Nell being a woman and having only one leg. Good murder mystery set in the Wild West.

historical-fiction, historical-research, history-and-culture, new-series, first-in-series, 1890s, ya-only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica, robbery, law-enforcement, western, friendship, family, chinese-customs, investigations, mining, murder

Nell enjoyed teaching her Chinese friends how to read and write but she really wanted to be a Pinkerton. Her father supported the idea, but her mother was sure it would be a disaster because Nell has depended on a wooden leg since a wagon accident when she was twelve. Then there is a robbery and more, culminating in the death of her father, the local marshal. The pervading attitudes of the time really make things difficult for both Nell and her Chinese friends. With the death of her father, she gets a chance to prove herself. Excellent read!
I requested and received an EARC from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you!

What an amazing combination! A western mystery set in Bodie, CA in 1892 and with a spunky girl who is determined to become a Pinkerton agent.

When the chance comes to show her skills when a murder happens, she steps up! Wonderful characters and this setting make you feel you are there!! Cannot wait for more!

Eighteen-year-old Nell Doherty dreams of one day working for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. After her father, the sheriff of Bodie, is shot during the Chinese New Year celebration, Nell is appointed marshal so that she can look into her father’s murder. Her half-Chinese, half-Irish friend Rags works as her assistant in a pairing that is both strange and unseemly to the small town’s residents. Nell is convinced she knows who murdered her father, but, as she digs deeper into the shooting, she discovers that there are other serious crimes taking place in Bodie and that it’s up to her to stop the perpetrators.

NELL: MARSHAL OF BODIE was an interesting store. The setting—a mining town in the Wild West—was what compelled me to check out the novel. Nell is a likeable and sympathetic character, though a bit immature and impetuous. As a young woman in the late 1800s, she already has her gender working against her as she pursues a career in law enforcement. Her wooden leg and the issues it causes seemed like an additional but unnecessary handicap.

Eighteen-year-old Nell Doherty is an unusual and welcome candidate for a detective; she is daughter of the Marshall of Bodie, California, is intrigued by Sherlock Holmes' methods, has ambition and drive, and though quick to judgment, is analytical and determined. She's also got a prosthetic, and has difficulty moving quickly or safely, particularly over snow or sawdust covered floors. Both of these surfaces become important as Nell decides to investigate the shooting murder of her Marshall father, while others search for his missing deputy.

Though several people in the town feel very strongly that a woman can't be a deputy, and there are difficult situations for her to navigate, whether physical, or conversational, Nell keeps finding ways to move forward, finding clues with her best friend Rags (Wu Chao) a half-Chinese, half-Irish young man who lives in the tiny Chinese quarter of the town.

Author John Edward Mullen sets up two mysteries, and significant hurdles for Nell to get past, including her mother who is deeply opposed to her daughter's desire to become a Pinkerton detective and practically disowns her for taking on the mantle of deputy. Though Nell fixates on one man as her father's murderer, she does pivot when necessary, and finds inventive ways to deal with difficult and dangerous people. Nell is such a pleasure to follow as she maneuvers around town, whether on foot with her crutch or on her horse, intent on finding justice for her father, no matter what others say.

I am a sucker for a western, and even more so for main characters who are such an intriguing mix of tough, curious, compassionate, and innovative. I enjoyed this story a lot, and look forward to Nell's next adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and to BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my review.