Many mystery authors choose to write series because doing so gives a longer story arc over which to develop plot and characters. Often books in a series also function as stand-alone novels, and the reader is free to start where she likes. Two fall 2021 titles are series books that unfortunately don't stand alone: Amy Stewart's Miss Kopp Investigates, a historical mystery, and Andrew Mayne's Mastermind, a contemporary FBI thriller featuring agent of the weird Jessica Blackwood. I had not read either series before, and don't recommend that anyone else start either of these series with either of these two books. There is simply too much backstory in the previous books in the series for these two titles to be easily read as one's first introduction to the characters.

That is not to say the Miss Kopp Investigates and Mastermind are not worth reading. Both are , in fact, fine books. Those who have read and enjoyed other books in these two series will definitely want to catch up with the sisters (Miss Kopp,) and Jessica and her supporting cast of unusual characters (Mastermind.). Miss Kopp Investigates moves a bit slowly at first, but fans of historical fiction will appreciate Stewart's treatment of women's issues in post-World War I America. Mastermind, on the other hand, starts with a bang, and the suspense continues to build throughout the book. Highly recommended for fans of each series. Not recommended for readers who haven't read either series--these readers should start with an earlier book in each series.

Thanks to Amy Stewart, Andrews Mayne, Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARCs of these books. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Kopp Sisters are engaging as always! The seventh book in the Miss Kopp series is wonderfully interesting and entertaining. Amy Stewart is an outstanding writer - very talented with the character development & 'voices', engaging stories and a genuine connection to the history of Constance Kopp (first female under sheriff of Hackensack NJ). In this book, the sister lose their brother just after the war ends and want to help their sister-in-law and her kids. I read this book thru within a day and can't wait for the next installment. Love all Amy Stewart's books but Miss Kopp series is particularly fantastic - highly recommend!

Ya can't cry over spilled milk. It's happened. So.......where's the mop?

Amy Stewart takes our famous Kopp Sisters into the aftermath years of World War I. America and the world are making adjustments on the homefront to the chaos and uncertainty of the troops being shipped home and the position of families readjusting to roles being realigned.

Constance is mulling over a new job prospect with the Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C.. Norma has found a niche of potential in Paris, France after the war. Fleurette is in a quandry as to where her stage career will take her after a severe bout with strep throat and the potential loss of her singing voice. But all of that will be hit with a tidal wave of emotions........

Their beloved brother, Francis, died of a heart attack at his office desk. The shock riveted through them with disbelief. But no one was hit more profoundly than Bess, his widow, and their two children, Lorraine and Frankie. Women of the time period were usually kept in the dark about family financial matters. And things couldn't get any darker for Bess without a candle in sight. Francis failed to tell her that debts were owed all around town, including a second mortgage on their home. It's here that the Kopp Sisters circle the wagons in order to provide stability for Bess and the children. Any career plans were put on hold.

Amy Stewart gives an elbow nudge to Fleurette, the youngest sister, to step it up. Spoiled and often impulsive, Fleurette knows that she has to place family first. What shakes out is an unexpected career move. There's a wave of divorces happening after the war. Paterson, New Jersey is in the mix of it. By chance, Fleurette finds herself in photo shoots of men needing proof of "the other woman". Her stage presence helps with disguises and the back of her head in the photos. Fleurette has money that's jingling in her pocket.......until Constance finds out. And she and Constance will have it out. And that's just the beginning.......

I applaud Amy Stewart for the parallels she creates to the real-life sisters. If you read the Acknowledgements at the end, you'll find some fascinating facts. Stewart has quite the following in her Kopp Sisters Series and for good reason. The novels are thoughtful, well-designed, true to the era, and often hilarious with sharp-witted dialogue and situations. As this novel concludes, we'll find that an exceptionally wide door has been opened to Adventure Land in the next. And we're all packed and ready to gallop in that direction with them.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers and to the talented Amy Stewart for the opportunity.

I love all the Kopp sisters, but it was such a treat getting to spend most of my time with Fleurette. Amy Stewart has a gift for dealing with serious subjects like death and looming financial debts with a dash a humour. What started as a way for Fleurette to contribute to the family finances ended up in what will prove to be the next great adventure for the Kopp sisters. A fun read that felt true to the post-WWI time period.

It's 1919 and things have come apart for the Kopp family. Francis has died, leaving behind his bereft and pregnant widow Bessie and his children, Fleurette has recovered from her illness but lost her glorious voice, Norma has come back from Europe and possible love, and Constance, well Constance loses her chance to work for the Bureau in Washington, I'm a huge fan of this series, which is based on real people (don't miss the afterword) and this installment sees a huge amount of growth in Fleurette, the youngest of the sisters. While working with an attorney and posing as the "other woman" for divorces, she befriends Alice, a woman who- no spoilers. Know that Fleurette finds herself in the unusual position of being the one that others rely on and who takes real initiative. She's always been more than her family thought and here she comes into her own. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is terrific and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I hadn't read the previous books in this series, so this was my first meeting with the Kopp sisters. I didn't quite know what to expect. But since the title of this book is Miss Kopp Investigates, I was expecting a historical mystery. The blurb also suggested that. And I didn't quite get it.

The beginning of this book is rather slow. The mystery only begins well after half the book. It doesn't mean that the first half of the book is boring, but due to the lack of some distinguished storyline, I wasn't that interested in it and kept waiting for mystery to begin. If you've read the previous books and are already familiar with the Kopp sisters, you'll be much more interested in their lives in the first half of this book.

Somewhere around the middle of the book, I stopped expecting that there would be any more elaborate suspense plot at all. And while suspense did appear in the end, it is hard to say that it is the dominant part of this book. I didn't mind watching the Kopp sisters solve their little problems, it was also interesting. But I didn't expect it to be the main part of this book.

The main character of this book is the youngest of the Kopp sisters - Fleurette. I like her as the main character, she is interesting and complicated. Just like her sisters and sister-in-law. Although I'm not sure if I like her sisters. They were depicted in quite a bad light, especially Norma. But I think they are characters that you can easily build the whole series around.

This is a book more for those who have read the previous books in this series and are already familiar with the Kopp sisters. You will then be more interested in their daily lives, problems, and relationships that make up a large part of this book. And although I admit that I read this part quite easily and with some interest, I think that if I had already had an emotional attachment to the sisters, it would be even better. You can read this book as an introduction to this series, but I think you will have more fun if you start with the first book.

This is the first book by Amy Stewart that I have read. I found it engaging. Even though it’s a fictionalized accounting, I found it plausible. I liked how these women worked together to try to get their lives back on track after the death of Francis Kopp.

Bessie, Francis’ wife is left with two young children when her husband dies. Their financial state turns out to be rather glum and sparse. Constance, Norma, and Fleurette do not have all the facts. As they try to sort through it all, we learn many family secrets.

I found it uplifting that Bessie is the one that ties them together in their plans.
Without giving anything away, I recommend this book. It is a standalone but may be more enjoyable for some if read in order.

The ending of the book is just the beginning of a new endeavor for the Kopp sisters.

I was given an Advanced Reader’s Copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

Stewart shines again. This time it is Fleurette at the front of the stage, all grown up and trying to do her part when tragedy strikes and the Kopp's brother dies suddenly. Constance gives up her Washington, DC job, Norma returns from France, and all gather around their now-pregnant sister-in-law and her children. When they discover Francis died with considerable debts, not only do they go into investigative mode to find out why, but to also find ways to earn money to support 4 women and 3 children. Fleurette steps out on her own working with a lawyer as a "co-respondent" in photos in divorce cases, disreputable but lucrative. This causes a break with the family, but also causes her to use her detective skills in another matter, and it is another Miss Kopp who investigates....
It is always amazing what the author does with these wonderful people. Just when I think "she's got to be making this part up," she's not. That part's true. Oh my. Keep up the historical notes at the end Amy! This is still my absolute favorite series with three of the most distinct, real, very different yet definitely family, characters I have ever met. Wonderful.

Life after the war takes an unexpected turn for the Kopp sisters, but soon enough, they are putting their unique detective skills to use in new and daring ways.

“Her family looked, to Norma, like the inside of a train station, with everyone rushing off in a different direction on separate timetables. Even with a hammer in hand and a mouthful of nails, she couldn’t fix them into place.”

Miss Kopp Investigates is the seventh book in the Kopp Sisters series by NYT best-selling American author, Amy Stewart. It’s early 1919, and each of the Kopp sisters has plans: Norma intends to join her friend Aggie Bell to act as interpreter and do relief work for refugees in Belgium; Constance will be in Washington, training female recruits for the Bureau of Investigation; and Fleurette has a lucrative singing contract for herself and her green Amazonian parrot with Freeman Bernstein.

But those grand plans have to be put on hold, indefinitely, when their brother, Francis dies suddenly, leaving a wife, two young children and, it turns out, another on the way. And, apparently, a string of debts around the town of Hawthorne.

Norma immediately takes charge, coordinating the sale of their farm, the purchase of a house and the running of two households. Constance takes a position as a store detective. Under the cover of seamstressing jobs, Fleurette, without compromising her virtue or revealing her identity, regularly poses for photographs in the arms of men seeking a divorce, for a Paterson law firm.

If they knew, her sisters would not approve. Her earnings, Fleurette unobtrusively and efficiently applies to those debts her brother has accrued with the town’s retailers. During the course of this scheme, Fleurette encounters a client she believes is the victim of a scam, and she can’t resist investigating.

In this instalment, Norma and Constance are very much in the background although, together with their sister-in-aw, Bessie, they do manage to uncover the source of the massive debt with which Francis has unintentionally saddled his family. It’s very much a team effort: where Norma’s forcefulness fails, Constance’s flattery or Bessie’s quiet tenacity win out.

But Fleurette is undeniably the star of this book, having blossomed from the self-centred teenager we met in 1914 to a resourceful, considerate and much more mature, if still occasionally wilful, young woman. She flexes her independence muscles by quitting the family home; her investigations see her consulting a fortune teller, parting with an emerald pendant and ultimately, lead to her arrest.

Era and plot give Stewart plenty of opportunities to remind us of just how powerless women were then: “The police won’t take her complaint unless Mr. Martin comes in as well. If she went to them by herself, the first thing they’d do is go around and talk to the husband and make sure the missus isn’t just hysterical. They’re not going to go running off to chase after an imaginary swindler on her word alone.”

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. Fans will be pleased to read that Stewart has plenty more up her literary sleeve for the Kopp sisters. Delightful!!
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fascinating continuation of the historical-fiction romp centered on the real-life Kopps, particularly Fleurette, for this installment. Stewart never seems to run out of original source material or affection for this family of intrepid women, though this particular postwar story is a bit more somber than the earliest books. Fleurette is charming as always, and finally able to claim a bit more autonomy. Looking forward to the next one!

Amy Stewart has the uncanny ability to help us understand major eras in history through the eyes of the women who lived them. The equally ordinary and extraordinary true life Kopp Sisters afford us a glimpse into the very different, and often difficult, challenges women faced during turbulent times.
In “Miss Kopp investigates”, it is after the First World War and the sisters are dealing with its aftermath. While the war brought them interesting new opportunities to serve that made good use of their talents, the postwar period offers nothing of the sort. In fact, they come home to difficult and trying circumstances. But, as always, the Kopps cope. While Norma, Constance, and Bessie are ever-present, it is Fleurette who takes center stage in this book. She proves herself to be as indomitable a personality as her sisters and her freewheeling and independent spirit makes this seventh book in the series light and entertaining and a very enjoyable and quick read.
While, in this book, the post-war period may have brought uncertainty to the sisters, the foreshadowing of their future endeavors has me looking forward to many more delightful evenings with the Kopps.

Another great fun and historically based story of the Kopp Sisters. I could hardly put it down. This time “baby sister” Fleurette takes on the lead role and provides the reader with a new unselfish Fleurette. But, the dramatic stage-struck heroine retains all her best assets: her love of make believe and theater and mastery of disguise. Waiting patiently for Amy Stewart’s next Kopp adventure.

The seventh book in the Kopp Sisters series is as satisfying as those that came before it. This installment focuses on Fleurette, as the three Kopp Sisters struggle to support their sister-in-law after their brother's sudden death. Fleurette proves to her sisters that she is resourceful and capable, even if they don't entirely like their methods. I would recommend readers starting at the beginning of the series.

"Miss Kopp Investigates" was a fun story. The book is the seventh in a series focusing on the Kopp Sisters -- Constance, Norma, and Fleurette. I have not read the earlier books (though I plan to do so) and enough background information is provided that I do not feel I was missing out for not having read them. However, it is likely that having read the earlier books would give the reader greater understanding of the main characters.

The plans and futures of the Kopp sisters are disrupted when their brother unexpectedly dies, leaving a widow (Bessie) with two young children (and a third on the way). The sisters rally around Bessie and the children, determined to see to their well-being. Fleurette, the youngest sister, was a theatre actress and singer, but illness has damaged her voice, leaving her unable to return to the theatre. She does piecework as a seamstress, which she enjoys, but not as a full-time occupation. Fleurette finds out, by accident, that Bessie is in greater financial trouble than the sisters realized; their brother was in debt to many of the shopkeepers in town. She is offered an opportunity by a lawyer, who knows her sister Constance, to serve as a "co-respondent" in divorce cases; in other words, she allows herself to be photographed in the company of men who are seeking divorces and who are willing to be portrayed as engaging in adultery (as divorce was only allowed for abandonment or adultery). She has mixed feelings about this type of behavior, but it pays well compared to the other employment opportunities available to her, and it allows her to utilize her theatrical skills, assuming false identities, wearing costumes/disguises, and acting a part.

The assignment for one client, Alice Martin, does not go as planned, but Fleurette suspects there is more to the story than Mrs. Martin has revealed. She engages in some snooping, which gives her the opportunity to uncover Mrs. Martin's true motivations, only to discover that Mrs. Martin may be a victim of a crime. Fleurette decides to conduct her own investigation, which proves to be quite the adventure.

The characters are interesting and enjoyable. There is tension between the sisters, especially Fleurette, whose theatrical career gave her a taste of independence and freedom that is quickly stifled by the expectations and commands of her older sisters, who still see her as the younger irresponsible sister who needs guidance and protection. The Kopp sisters are resourceful and also somewhat atypical for the time with respect to their career pursuits.

My favorite part of the book is the end, where the author reveals that the Kopp sisters were real people, who actually operated their own detective agency. The author explains that her books are a blend of fact and fiction, utilizing historical information about the Kopp family, but also altering or embellishing facts for the purpose of the stories.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This series is so much fun to read and the author is adept at weaving historical facts into the sisters adventures. Fleurette is the leading figure this time and she proves, once again, that women can do anything they want, even in 1919.

I love romping through early 20th century American history with the Kopp Sisters. These characters feel like old friends now. And as ever, I am impressed at how Stewart weaves historic primary sources into the fictionalized lives of real people. The dose of feminism is also a draw.

This was my second favorite book in the series, after the first, Girl Waits with Gun. Like that book, Miss Kopp Investigates moves quickly. Unlike some of the other Kopp Sisters novels, it didn't have a short slow drag in the middle; it was a page turner. Miss Kopp Investigates actually seemed a little short. The introduction of a new historic woman of interest and the use of real headlines about the Sisters were elements that appeared in the other books of the series but not in this one. I missed those fun and clever brushes with history.

Readers familiar with the Kopp Sisters will enjoy seeing Fleurette come of age, while good old Norma and Constance stay much the same.

Thank you for the galley copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Life after the war takes an unexpected turn for the Kopp sisters, but soon enough, they are putting their unique detective skills to use in new and daring ways.

Winter 1919: Norma is summoned home from France, Constance is called back from Washington, and Fleurette puts her own plans on hold as the sisters rally around their recently widowed sister-in-law and her children. How are four women going to support themselves?

A chance encounter offers Fleurette a solution: clandestine legal work for a former colleague of Constance’s. She becomes a "professional co-respondent," posing as the "other woman" in divorce cases so that photographs can be entered as evidence to procure a divorce. While her late-night assignments are both exciting and lucrative, they put her on a collision course with her own family, who would never approve of such disreputable work. One client’s suspicious behavior leads Fleurette to uncover a much larger crime, putting her in the unlikely position of amateur detective.

In Miss Kopp Investigates, Amy Stewart once again brilliantly captures the women of this era - their ambitions for the future as well as the ties that bind - at the start of a promising new decade."

Again, women are far more capable then we are given credit for!

What a joy the Kopp sisters mysteries are - and it looks as if there will continue to be more to look forward to! It is 1919 and the sisters are all drawn back to New Jersey due to the unexpected death of their brother Francis. Norma has to come all the way from France (and put on hold her desire to stay in Europe). Constance thinks she is coming from Washington, D.C. just for a little while and Fleurette has spent the entire winter recovering from strep throat and scarlet fever and wants to get back to life in the theater.
Unfortunately Francis’ death has left their sister in law Bessie and her 2 children in a bind. For some reason Francis has left his family in debt and their home mortgaged. Bessie is also expecting their third child at this most inopportune time. Of course the Koop sisters cannot leave her in the lurch.
As all three sisters realize that their former plans are to be put on hold, Fleurette stars in this installment as she takes a temporary job as a ‘co-respondent’ in divorce cases. She get to be the other woman in pictures that are taken to present at divorce trials. From this thrilling and fairly well paid job she gets drawn into helping a woman who has been sucked into a scam. Fleurette is often annoyed by her older sister Constance but she has learned a thing or two from her law enforcement background and ends up investigating the scammer.
As usual, these stories are based on a little bit of fact and a lot of wonderful imagination by the author. This is another wonderful addition to the Kopp sisters adventures.

This book made me happy for two reasons:

1. I finally enjoyed Fleurette's character. As the last book made me finally understand Norman, this one made me understand and like Fleurette. She tries her best to do well with her family. Posing to have her picture taken in a compromising position so that a man can be divorced is an unconventional way to do it, but Fleurette isn't stupid. Once a situation looks sticky, she gets out. Fleurette has grown, and it's beautiful to see even though it takes Constance a while to see it.

2. Before this, I was wondering where the plot can go. The ending told me what the Kopp sisters are going to do, and it's perfect. The fact that Amy Steward writes in her author's notes about the true adventures that the sisters will deal with and that it will be included in the series makes me very excited for the future of the series.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.