Girl Waits With Gun (Kopp Sisters #1/7) by Amy Stewart ****

Set in 1914, Girl Waits with Gun (Kopp Sisters #1/7) by Amy Stewart opens with Henry Kaufman driving his motor car into Constance Kopp and her two sisters’ buggy. Constance demands $50 for the damages.  Instead of paying, Mr. Kaufman and his thugs harass the sisters who live alone on an isolated farm. With the help of Sheriff Heath, the sisters are armed. They defend themselves. A historical novel about a strong woman.

Interesting note: This is the third book in a row with female protagonists who are armed. The Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown and Queen Anne's Lace by Susan Wittig Albert.

Miss Constance Kopp is six feet tall. When Mr. Kaufman doesn’t have his thugs to back him up, he is intimidated by Miss Constance Kopp. From Mr. Kaufman’s trial: “Coerced?” said Attorney Lynch with a smile. “By what means were you coerced?” Mr. Kaufman looked around until he found me. “She was there!” he said, rising and pointing at me. “She trapped me and forced me…”

“THIS IS A WORK OF HISTORICAL FICTION based on real events and real people. … All of the major events described in the novel actually happened, with a few notable exceptions…”

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Queen Anne's Lace by Susan Wittig Albert ****

Queen Anne's Lace by Susan Wittig Albert tells the 19^th-century story of Annie Duncan Hunt and the contemporary ghost story of how China Bayles uncovers Annie’s story. The author’s goal was to write “the history of women’s use of herbal contraceptives and abortifacients.” Queen Anne’s Lace or wild carrot (a herbal contraceptive and abortifacient) played a central role in this book. The contemporary subplot was about show chickens (Blackheart [Ayam Cemani rooster], and Caitie’s Extra Crispy [Cubalaya rooster]). The 19^th-century subplot was about lacemaking. A pleasant and educational read.

Both storylines take place in the house Annie’s first husband built at 304 Crockett Street in Pecan Springs.

The ghost is unambiguous. She rings bells, hums, sings, makes appearances, and even posts notes on the bulletin board. There is nothing scary about this ghost.

The is set in Texas, so China Bayles shot someone in self-defense. “Using the Chevy as cover, I crept forward until I could see Gibbons, now advancing cautiously, raising the rifle to fire again, his gaze fixed on his target: the cop on the ground. I stood up, locked the shotgun tight against my shoulder, and aimed, just as Gibbons caught sight of me and swung his gun around. Without a word, I pulled the trigger. The Remington blasted, and Gibbons flew backward. Ears ringing, I chambered another shell, hard and fast, and aimed again. Gibbons was flat on his back. He was moving, so I knew he wasn’t dead.”

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In Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown (#22/32 in the Mrs. Murphy series), “Harry” Haristeen, a Smith College alum, and art history major, is confronted by Joshua Hill, dressed like a scarecrow, and Hester Martin, dressed as a witch, both dead, bullet through the heart. In her effort to find the killer, she is aided by Deputy Cynthia Cooper, and three pets: Mrs. Murphy, a tiger cat, Pewter, the other cat, and Tucker, a corgi. The story revolves around organic farming and Walter Ashby Plecker, eugenicist, racist, and the head of Vital Statistics in Virginia from 1912 to 1946. The book is more of a history lesson than a mystery.

Plecker committed “paper genocide” by replacing “the term Indian with the term colored on all official documents, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, and voter registration forms.” The result was to erase all records of Native Americans within the state of Virginia. This made it difficult to get any recognition of Native American tribes. Today Virginia has seven federally recognized tribes. The state recognizes eleven tribes. This seems to indicate that Plecker’s “paper genocide” has been reversed.

Rita Mae Brown is a famous feminist activist and author. After 50 years, Rubyfruit Jungle, a lesbian coming-of-age story, is still a best seller. The Mrs. Murphy series mentions feminist issues briefly.

“Rev, I’m in charge of buildings and grounds.”

The good pastor said, “Surely there’s a man who can do some of this.”

“Are we going to have the Sexism 101 talk?”

BoomBoom laughed. “We are supposed to be long past that caveman talk, Rev.”

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