While I still love the Kopp sisters this book just didn't do it for me. World War I has started and Norma is in France developing a pigeon messaging detail. Fleurette is with May Ward's Eight Dresden Dolls traveling and performing at Army bases around the country. Constance is now working for what will become the FBI. The book is written in the form of letters going back and forth between the sisters, add in Norma's roommate, Aggie, and also letters from Norma to her supervisor, Bielaski. Each sister was having their own adventures and even though each adventure was interesting I felt with all the jumping around in letters I lost the thread. It just wasn't compelling for me. I look forward to the next outing of the Kopp sisters, hopefully not in epistolary form.

Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a copy of this book.

Amy Stewart has definitely done her homework when preparing to write this book which is set in America and France in the throes of WW1.

Dear Miss Kopp includes a vast amount of very interesting fact throughout the whole story on how people, and women in particular, went about their lives during a world war. The author also uses a smart technique to hold the book together - since the three Kopps are separated, a book written entirely in letter form works exceedingly well.

I love the way each of the three women use their personal skills to survive and prosper. By the end of the book they are forging ahead independently into the new world post war. It will be fascinating to see where the author takes them in book 7 and how she manages to combine their three separate lives into one story.

This is a terrific series and one where I look forward to each book as it comes out.

I have enjoyed each of the 5 books in this series, but perhaps this one even more since it was so different. Due to the sisters different locations in the war, they wrote letters to stay in touch. And so this novel is an epistolary one which is a lovely change of pace but I imagine quite a challenge to write. Through their experiences during the war, each of the sisters experiences growth and change and I expect the next installment to find their lives much different.

What a clever, interesting book about the entertaining Kopp sisters during WWI. These resourceful women never cease to amaze me with their endeavors and adventures. I am especially fond of Norma and her pigeon raising and absolute assurance in how right she is. I pity the Army officers in France who try to squelch her. They are no match for her.

  Norma is stationed in France to implement her messenger pigeon program. Her superior officers are not impressed and try to shut the program down. Norma is having none of that and finds ways to work around their orders. It's often hilarious and always clever. She bears up when a serviceman actually eats one of these valuable trained birds. They end up saving American lives and proving the worth of what Norma is trying to accomplish. 

  Norma also gains a room-mate, a wonderful nurse named Aggie, who becomes friends with the entire family. Aggie survives a scandal with Norma's help and in the process a German spy is caught smuggling medical supplies to the enemy. Norma is once again a hero that we all knew her to be.

  Meanwhile Constance is the lone female agent in  the FBI investigating German spies and saboteurs in the U.S. She gets involved in a case that requires her sister, Fleurette's, help. It's amazing at how clever the two girls are in solving the case. Fleurette also becomes the proud own of a parrot who is quite entertaining. 

  What's even more clever is the entire book is written in the form of letters. There are letters from each other and from others to them. I thought I would find the format irritating but it was actually quite interesting. It reminded me of the weekly letters my mother used to write me. How I miss those. I think we are all poorer for the lack of letter writing we now have. 

  This was a wonderful book and I can't recommend the story of the Kopp sisters more. I feel so much better for reading this book. It made me happy. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. Thank you, Amy Stewart, for sharing the Kopp sisters with me.

Another enjoyable installment in this series presented in an intriguing new format. It takes a while for the story to get in the groove of being presented through letters between various parties associated with the Kopps, but once it does, it's the rewarding and fun reading experience that I've come to expect. The three sisters are mostly separated this time around, given equal spotlights and interesting storylines to follow. Although the story this time is mostly fictional, I am excited by the tease Stewart has provided in the historical notes about the next book largely drawing on history.

It took a hot minute to get into this book since the format is so different from the rest of the series. This book is a compilation of letters to and from the sisters and a few other characters sprinkled to fill in the gaps of the stories that were playing out in the various corners of the world. While it worked and did end up enjoying learning about what the Kopp sisters were up to during the end of World War 1, I don't think I'll be able to read a whole series of of books formatted like this. At times you could forget what was happening in one of the subplots because another took center stage for several pages. There were a lot of story lines. This book might have been better as 3 short stories from each sister's perspective.

Excellent!! I loved the epistolary format-  what a successful way to shake this series up. Each of the Kopp sisters remains true to themselves, and their letters make it possible for their adventures to move beyond their little town.

Hurrah for the return of the inimitable Kopp sisters! Once again Amy Stewart's in-depth research into the real-life Kopps and daily life in America and abroad during World War I creates in an outstanding, page-turning novel. Structured in epistolary form, the book chronicles the latest activities of the three lively women in a series of immensely readable letters that detail Norma's triumphs and frustrations supervising the use of military homing pigeons in France, Fleurette's adventures singing and dancing for troops all over the U.S., and Constance's exploits investigating spies on the east coast. Altogether an entertaining fiction treat. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

While based on the lives of the real Kopp Sisters, Ms. Stewart had to take many liberties in this installment as there isn't a lot of information about what Constance, Norma, and Fleurette were doing during The Great War. Told through letters between the sisters and a few others, the story was infused with a bit of both suspense and humor while still providing Ms. Stewart's trademark history lesson. I loved the antics of the three sisters and those around them as they proceeded, each in their own way, to support the cause.  I have to admit, Norma has become my favorite character. She just has no filter or patience with the fools around her. I am so glad her character has grown throughout the stories and look forward to her and her sisters' next adventures!

Don't be scared.........Be a Braveycat!  (Randee, Age 4)

And that's exactly where we come to find our beloved Kopp Sisters in this sixth book in the series. Amy Stewart has outdone herself in Dear Miss Kopp. Stewart reaches in deeply and creates her storyline with a completely different format. As we all know, letter writinghas become a lost art. But nothing gives one a straight-up view into the past than personal accounts and historical perspectives as handwritten letters conveying one's thoughts and reactions.......especially during times of war and individual setbacks. From Presidents to plain ol' plain people, these communications are beyond valuable. And these letters strike a match to some fiery episodes here.

The Kopp Sisters take their places among the Braveycats of this world. (They were actual sisters in real life.) From the first book onward, they never passed up a challenge or a new adventure. We now find them in the midst of World War I leaving the family farm in New Jersey to parts unknown. Norma has joined the Army Signal Corps with her trained carrier pigeons and is stationed in a small town in France. Constance, a former prison matron and female Sheriff assistant, has been assigned to work with the Bureau of Investigation (Later to become FBI) while surveying the movements of German spies and saboteurs in the United States. Fleurette, all of twenty, has joined an entertainment group traveling to military camps while sharing her singing and dancing talents.

Amy Stewart has done remarkable research into life during the Great War. She gives us a front-row seat and we sit in the midst of historical surround sound through those lively back-and-forth letters. What a ride! Stewart guides the Kopp Sisters through episodes of exasperation in regard to women's roles in the War Department. Most times women were relegated to the secretarial pools until Constance stuck her foot in the door to shade activities in the Bureau previously held by only men.

Dear Miss Kopp is fast-paced and delightful as Amy Stewart allows each sister to shine throughout this action-packed storyline. Her quick-witted dialogue showcases the quirky humor throughout. Dear Miss Kopp can read as a standalone, but I'd advise picking up the first book to get a true sense of them and their antics. Quite honestly, this one may be my favorite of all. Good, good stuff.

I received a copy of Dear Miss Kopp through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourtand the talented Amy Stewartfor the opportunity.

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.