The latest in the delightful Miss Kopp series takes an epistolary turn. Based on the real-life adventures of America’s first female deputy sheriff circa 1915 Paterson, New Jersey, this installment finds the Kopp sisters on independent escapades ferreting out spies in NJ (Constance), entertaining the pre-departure troops (Fleurette), and managing the army’s messenger pigeon program in France (Norma). The addition of a new voice—Aggie, Norma’s roommate—is an unexpected but welcome surprise. A treat!

The Kopp sisters go to War, as in World War I. Well, Norma heads for the front with her messenger pigeons, while Constance works undercover back home with the Bureau of Investigation tracking saboteurs and spies, and Fleurette is, naturally, touring the U.S. entertaining the troops. Each doing what they do best. Of course this means they have no contact with one another beyond letters, so that is what the novel is, letters between the sisters, to their superiors, and Aggie, Norma's roommate, because Norma's letters usually include about 2 sentences. And it works quite well, because each has always had a distinct voice (kudos to the author!) and are excellent storytellers. Constance has her mystery to solve with Fleurette helping out towards the end, and Aggie and Norma turn out to have major case to solve as well, so the plot zooms right along. These are three strong, original individuals who I always love to spend time with. I so look forward to the next in the series. My favorite series. Highly recommended.

The U.S. has entered WWI and the Kopp Sisters are separated for the first time in their lives! In a series of letters to one another we learn what Constance, Norma, and Fleurette are doing to help the war effort at home and abroad.

Constance is working for the Bureau of Investigation to locate suspected German spies, Fleurette is traveling the country performing for the troops, and Norma is in France trying to prove the value of her pigeon project to the Army Signal Corps.

This book really shines a spotlight on Norma. She’s been the practical and curmudgeonly sister throughout this series but I feel like we get to know her so much better in this novel. Her roommate Agnes, a nurse at the American field hospital, begins to write to Constance and share stories of Norma’s heroic efforts in the face of adversity, as well as Norma’s help in clearing Aggie’s name when she’s accused of stealing medical supplies.

This was a wonderful epistolary novel that works incredibly well, especially for the time period and subject matter. I adore this cozy series and love catching up with the Kopp sisters. The previous book, Kopp Sisters on the March, wasn’t my favorite but did an excellent job of setting up for the events that take place in this novel. Amy Stewart has created an original voice for each sister and their letters are bursting with the personalities that readers have come to love and appreciate. Entertaining and charming as always, I look forward to the major changes coming for Constance, Norma, and Fleurette!
I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy historical fiction and mystery.

Thanks to HMH/Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Dear Miss Kopp is scheduled for release on January 12, 2021.

First of all, if you haven't read any of the other Kopp Sisters books (like me) don't let that deter you. You will not love these sisters any less - they are fabulous! While the book takes place during WWI, clearly not a fun time in the world, it is still a fun (and educational) read. The sisters have such unique personalities that really shine through in their letters, which was a wonderful way to tell the story. It felt very true to the time period. I can't wait to start at the beginning of the series and learn more about these endearing sisters.

I was thinking that it's been too long since I had a new book this series and then one appears on Netgalley. This was different than the other books by being all letters written from different people about the different sisters who have been scattered from the wind from each other.

This book made me love Norma, who I normally find trying but her persistence against the sexism in the military made me cheer for her. Her friendship with her roommate Aggie gives her a softness that we've never seen before. Constance is doing secretive work that she finds mundane even though it's very interesting, while Fleurette is part of the USO. Through Fleurette, we find out how women were treated at home during the war.

I love this series.

This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Sixth in series. The Great War, WW1, is leaving it's destruction and the Kopp sisters are involved at home and overseas.

I like how Stewart weaves real life historical people and events throughout the story. The whole book/story is told through letters written back and forth between Constance, Norma, Fleurette and a few others.

I look forward to the next book.

3.5 ☆

Amy Stewart is back with a SIXTH installment of the Miss Kopp series! Girl Waits With Gun was published in 2015 and Stewart has given us a sequel every year since.

If you have not read any of the series you won't know that the main characters are based on real people.

Constance Kopp was one of the first lady cops. She had a sister Norma, and 'sister' Fleurette who is really Constance's child, the result of being seduced by a door-to-door Singer salesman when she was a teenager. Stewart has delved into the newspaper files to resurrect the Kopp girls, fictionalizing freely to fill in the blanks left in their histories.

The series begins in 1914, and this installment brings us to WWI.

Constance has been recruited by Washington, DC to spy on American Germans aiding the enemy. Fleurette is entertaining the stateside troops with a song and dance troupe. And Norma has enlisted to help the Army develop a pigeon messenger program in France where she rooms with a nurse.

Between the three Kopps, readers see the war from many fronts.

The novel is totally epistolary, comprised of the letters between the sisters, their bosses, and family and friends.

As in all the book in the series, a major focus in on the role of women in society, their contributions and the limitations society places on them. Norma fights for her work to be taken seriously and solves the problem of missing medical supplies. Fleurette is arrest under The American Plan which locked up women suspected of sexual promiscuity and corrupting the troops. Constance goes undercover as a spy.

The crimes that the Kopps solve are based on actual crimes. One act of sabotage mentioned took place at the Curtiss North Elmwood plant in Buffalo, NY. It was the world's largest airplane factory when it was built, located just down the road from where I grew up. (My grandfather was an engineer at a later Curtiss plant operating during WWII.)

Fans will enjoy the book. Newbies may want to start with the first in the series. This story told all in letters does not have the same drive as the earlier novels, but once you fall for the Kopps there is no turning back. We will read to the very end of the series!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

As always in this series, this book is a delight! I must admit that at the beginning, I was feeling a bit curmudgeonly about the format: letters to each other. After a while, it didn’t bother me. What I love about the Kopp stories is that it’s based on the history of the area and current events, even if these events didn’t actually happen to the sisters. The author keeps it honest in her afterwards.

Dear Miss Kopp is the sixth book in the Kopp Sisters series by NYT best-selling American author, Amy Stewart. By mid-1918, the Kopp sisters find themselves apart, with Constance and Fleurette on separate missions travelling the country, while Norma and her pigeons are in France. Letters (some unsent), short notes and telegrams flow between them and others, carrying news of their lives and glimpses at happenings and conditions in their far-flung locations.

Constance upbraids Norma for the brevity of her missives: Norma is reluctant to enumerate her problems with her commanding officer, and too modest to detail her triumphs, but her roommate in their poor, cramped accommodation has no such qualms; Nurse Agnes Bell, stationed at the American Hospital in their unnamed French village, is so pleased to borrow this Kopp sister (especially when Norma helps to prove her innocence on a theft charge), she writes in detail to Constance; Norma pours out her exasperations to General Murray back home.

Fleurette’s reticence in letters to her older sisters is absent in missives to her best friend, Helen Stewart, to whom she describes to the accommodations and chaperoning arrangements for the entertainment troupes sent to boost the morale of army camps full of soldiers about to go to war, and run-ins with overzealous Women’s Protective Committee members, apparently blinkered to culpability of men, resulting in stints in “girl jail”.

To her sisters, as she resides in female boarding houses in between assignments for the Bureau of Investigation, Constance describes the torture of families and sweethearts awaiting any word from sons, brothers, beaus, the dispatch of comfort items in parcels, the often-unhelpful American Protection League activities, book drives, support of French war orphans, and the bartering that produces miracle meals from meagre supplies.

Norma’s problems include Army superiors who consider the whole pigeon program, intended to save the lives of runners, a frivolity; and soldiers who see it as a waste of time and are so poorly informed the birds are mistreated and sometimes end up as pigeon pie. Not to be daunted by orders, Norma takes the initiative and gets her birds to the front under the radar, an exercise that includes madeleines and love poems.

Constance tries to boost her morale: “We can only do our part. We cannot, as individuals, put a stop to crime or mayhem or even war. (Especially war.) We won’t, in any final sense, ever win. There will always be a police department, or a sheriff’s office, or an Army and Navy, because there will always be another criminal, another battle, another belligerent nation. All we can do is to get up every day and to stand on the side of justice and fairness.”

Fleurette somehow ends up doing a solo performance: a hit with the troops but it infuriates their spoiled, moody star, May Ward. Her letters describe the mood of soldiers about to risk their lives, feeling that naming war insurance beneficiaries is virtually a bet against oneself. The acquisition of a feathered companion spurs Fleurette to write to Norma.

Meanwhile, Constance infiltrates networks of German saboteurs, goes on slacker raids, investigates propagandist publications and engages in anti-unionist espionage (much to her distaste). Her reports entertain Bureau director, Bruce Bielaski, who gives her free rein, and Constance eventually recruits and trains a female BI agent, then enlists the help of Fleurette in an important covert operation.

Stewart’s Historical Notes are interesting and informative, revealing that Constance Kopp and her sisters were real people, much as described, as are quite a few of the other characters. Many of the events that form the plot also occurred, if not always when stated. Stewart takes the known historical facts and fleshes them out into a marvellous tale. Once again, excellent historical fiction.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The Kopp sisters continue to delight! This is a very ambitious sixth volume, being told completely in epistolary format. For the first time ever, the three sisters are split up as each undertakes a different role in the war effort. Constance is an agent for the precursor to the FBI and busy routing out German agents and schemes. Fleurette is traveling with May Ward and entertaining the American troops around the country. And Norma is in France in charge of the Army's pigeon program.

Like the last installment, Stewart imagines what the Kopps were up to as there is very little in the historical record to draw from. But she masterfully creates adventures for the three Kopps, both abroad and at home, which backed up, as always, with lots of research of how life really was during the late 1910s.

Greatly enjoyable and compelling. Fans of the series will love this and eagerly wait for more.

historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-fiction, historical-setting, WW1

The stories about the Kopp sisters (who are real) began early in the 20th century and progressed from there. Constance really was a deputy. The research is all on target and the references check out (bad library pun). The fiction is somewhat manufactured, but it is a case of an aggregation of real people to make history easier for us readers.
So. This book is presented in the form of letters from each of the sisters, back and forth, during the last year of The War To End All Wars. Constance is presented as an operative from the department which would later become the FBI, Norma is with the Signal Corps in rural France, and Fleurette is a performer with a travelling group that is much like the later USO. The prejudice and tribulations of women in that era are put forth very clearly in the course of things. I wasn't hopeful that I would like this format as much, but I was wrong. It's the perfect way to tie things together! Loved it!
I have all the others on audio, so it's a given that I am a fan (as well as a history geek).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Can't wait to see how the audio turns out!

You might think that the Kopp sisters series might get stale once it’s up to its 6th installment, but not at all. Dear Miss Kopp is told through letters between the sisters and other characters. Stewart spins up a layered set of narratives that perfectly capture the spirit of the earlier books while letting each of the sisters come into their own.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. I love this series and was excited for this latest installment; it did not disappoint!

Stars: Great characters with lovely quirks and personality. I love learning about this time in history as I don't know much about World War I.

Wishes: I understood why the author chose to write this in epistolary form, and it worked because the three sisters were separated; but I didn't love it. I have a hard time believing that anyone would write really long letters like those especially with conversation in them, but I still enjoyed the story.

I'm not sure this is great, but it's good. The author has a good series going with the sisters, and this one is nicely put together. Pretty engaging and recommended for historical mystery fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

I loved the technique of using letter writing throughout this book. The sisters came alive through them, each with their unique voice. The story itself is immersive, giving a great vision of the time and the locations referred to. I was really excited to learn their are other books featuring the Misses Kopp.

Thank you for the advance copy of this book. I love this series. The format, just letters, threw me off at first, but then I got into it. The characters were just as full of adventure and personality as previous books. I highly recommend this book!

You know the feeling of immersing yourself utterly and completely in an engrossing book until well past your bedtime, tired but energized from being so very invested? Well, this book was just IT for me. I was glued to every word.

Absolutely captivating and enchanting, this epistolary book is set during WWI and follows three sisters and an almost sister (she becomes a dear, dear friend) who write back and forth to each other about their days and lives during a devastating time in history. Yet there is always hope.

Constance is with the Bureau of Investigation and has a thrilling and exciting job investigating criminals, including the Germans.

Fleurette's job couldn't be more different but important nonetheless. She uses her talent for singing and dancing to entertain downtrodden troops all over the country.

Norma is in a top secret location in France where she desperately tries to think up ways to keep her pigeon carrier program running. She also solves a mystery along the way.

Aggie becomes a dear friend of Norma's and is a nurse at an American hospital in France. She starts corresponding with the sisters in America and forms a close bond with them as a result.

Each of the women is very unique with completely different personality traits and jobs. Reading their letters brimming with news, sad stories, fun banter, war rationing, humour, moving anecdotes, camaraderie and courage is a marvelous treat!

Though the shooting is over at the end of the book the devastating effects and repercussions are not. I cannot wait to read the next installment!

Amy Stewart has a glorious way with words, using no clichés but refreshingly original writing with loads of warmth and wit. She captivated me from the first word to the end, including her notes at the back. My first experience with her writing was such an adventure! In my book review notebook I've made a notation (and highlighted it) to read ALL her books. This charming page turner impressed me that much. I am also researching the bibliography information.

It is obvious the author did a lot of research to write this historical fiction based on real people. The details are incredibly interesting from location descriptions to jobs to sisterly love to the horrors of war.

Who should read this? Everyone with a passion for the written word but especially those interested in the WWI era and historical fiction. This would be a great introduction to historical fiction, too.

My sincere thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this delightful book in return for an honest review. Much appreciated.

The adventures of the Kopp sisters continue in a fascinating and fun new book. I'm usually leery of epistolary novels, but author Amy Stewart has proven that they don't have to be stodgy--this one is lively and I Ioved reading Norma's and Fleurette's voices. Each Kopp is doing her bit for the war--Norma in France with pigeons, Fleurette touring military bases, and Constance working for what will become the FBI, recruiting and managing smart women as part of her work in seeking out domestic sabotage and other threats. It helps to have read previous Kopp sisters novels before reading this one, but don't despair--if you haven't yet, you're in for a treat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I always look forward to the next book in this series. Each one is so unique but very well written and full of interesting historical stories. This one is unique in that it's written in the form of letters between the characters.
If you haven't read the previous books in this series, I highly recommend all of them. I'm usually not a fan of series but this one has me hooked. I can't wait to see what these lovely characters experience next!

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
What an utterly beautiful and inspiring read just loved the book thank you.