I love Jane Smiley, but this wasn't my favorite. The plot and characters were lovely ad intriguing, but the prose was meandering.

Jane Smiley clearly loves Monterey County, California. These feelings partially redeem this otherwise disappointing novel. She paints the picture of a temperate peninsula, replete with a beautiful harbor, gently rolling hills and seemingly endless untrodden backcountry. It’s an environment characterized not only by fog, wind, and rain, but also by abundant gentle sunlight, not unlike Monet’s Provence. Moreover, she imagines all of this in abundant detail during a most interesting time. The Gold Rush is on, unrest due to the slavery question looms, and the Westward expansion of America seems inevitable. Smiley gives the reader a gritty boomtown, complete with unpaved streets with evocative names, plenty of horseflesh, banks, saloons, and especially brothels. Indeed, this was a time when Monterey was a magnet for sailors, con men, and fortune seekers, so places where they could do their “business” were essential.

With this in mind, readers might forgive Smiley for some obvious historical blunders. Outside of Miss Kitty’s “Long Branch” in Dodge City, it is unlikely that the West saw many brothels like Mrs. Parks’ (i.e., clean, safe, and run by a protective madam who acknowledges that “being a woman is a dangerous business.”) At the time, Monterey was recently emerging from a Spanish culture; yet the novel has only one Hispanic character and he is a little too nice to be believed. The Western genre in fiction admittedly comes with many inaccuracies, but Smiley challenges it further with a feminist focus that fails to capture a realistic view of women on the frontier. Clearly, women were coerced, dismissed, ignored, and threatened in the old West. But it is unlikely that two appealing female sidekicks ever roamed the range on horseback looking for danger and adventure, as repeatedly transpired in the male version of that tired literary trope.

The plot centers on the relationship between two young prostitutes. Eliza Ripple is a naïve late teen, who takes to the profession almost casually following the violent death of her husband. This guy was not very likeable and thus not missed by anyone, including Eliza. Likewise, her backstory consists of a grim life with Christian fundamentalist parents, so she sees her new-found freedom in a Monterey brothel as a blessing. Jean MacPherson is her partner. She is a bold gender-bender who works at a women’s only brothel in town with the haunting name of “The Pearly Gates.” Smiley stretches credulity with Jean, but her worldliness and sense of adventure serve as the primary plot mover in the novel.

The two women begin the investigation of a series of unsolved prostitute murders. This Nancy Drew touch fails to drive the narrative, however. Neither the suspects nor the victims leap off the page. No one in town seems to care. The misleading clues Smiley leaves around are unconvincing. The characters’ motivations are unclear. The young women spend far too much time just roaming around, planning to meet, and chasing pointless clues. The narrative lacks suspense because the women face little risk. And the ending seems rushed. Apart from Smiley’s loving depiction of the setting and her touching feminist focus, the story lacks urgency and has too much wrong with it to be considered among her better offerings.

Ostensibly a murder mystery set in the 1850’s Gold Rush era in Monterey, CA. Two young woman working as prostitutes become friends and begin investigating the disappearances of other young women. The prostitution aspect of the book is not at all salacious and is treated as just another profession. Yet, their work does provide access to all levels of society in this rather rough, young community. I found the book to be more about friendship and depictions of the people, places, and politics of this time and place in history. The mystery aspect wasn’t as engaging. Thanks to the author, published and NetGalley for a preview copy.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I've read a book by Jane Smiley, although, as a former bookseller, I certainly know her name. I was excited at the opportunity to give her a try. Unfortunately, the booked turned into a bit of a mixed bag.

On the positive side, I loved the story idea. It turns out to be more of a character study than a mystery, but I didn't have a problem with that. Our heroine is an interesting character. She is in her early 20s, but is already a widow. After the death of her husband, she was forced to take up employment in a brothel, although one with a kindly madam. At the beginning of the story, she has worked at the brothel for a year. But despite that, she still comes across as very innocent about most of the outside world. Plus, it was also very nice to see a strong platonic friendship between two women that never dissolved into a romance despite the sexuality of one of the characters. I thought that strengthened the plot, because the relationship between the two never became a distraction from the main action.

Now for the negative. This is a short book and it unfortunately suffered for it. Some plot points were never resolved or simply dropped all together. Was the death of one character associated with the prostitute murders or was it domestic abuse? What happened to the spouse? That storyline just vanished. And what is the deal with Jean seeing ghosts? And why did Eliza also think she saw one, never to bring it up again?

The pacing of the book was slow in the beginning and middle and seemed to meander a bit. Again, I didn't have much of a problem with that. But then the end just slams into you like a brick wall. It's like Smiley wasn't sure where to take the story so she tried to cram everything into the final 20 pages to get it over with. The end result was rushed and weak. It didn't do justice to the fantastic characters we'd been following.

Would I read another Jane Smiley book? Sure. I liked her style and character development (plus, I'm a sucker for horses and I know they often play major roles in her books). But I just have the feeling that this was not her best effort - which is a shame because I did love the start.

I'm conflicted...LOVE Jane Smiley but don't love historical fiction! Nonetheless pushed through this story. Unique concept of two sex workers solving a mystery during the gold rush days. Fast read. Great characters. Life for women was tough back then!

Eliza has worked in a brothel since the death of her husband. She doesn't mind, since her husband was abusive. But when other young women working in a brothel start to disappear, Eliza investigates since no one else seems to care. Enjoyable historical fiction mixed with a detective story!

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC!

As a fan of Jane Smiley I looked forward to this book, but was unfortunately disappointed in this one.
The beginning was good, the ending was good and in between it just felt like Jane Smiley lost her way.
Why do I say this? Well it is because it just appears that the author could not decide what this book is about. Is it a detective story, a ghost story, a gal-pal story, a recital of prostitutes clients, historical fiction, etc. She throws in slavery at the very end, since the story is set in 1852, and when you throw all of this together it is lackluster read. It also did not help that I could figure out the killer early in the book, but there was a twist into the how and why.
If you know of Smiley's other books, this one just falls flat and is not up to the quality of her prior works. Let's hope her next one is better.

I found this book to be an interesting read, but a bit slow at times. I liked the historical aspects, but found the mystery to drag some.

A DANGEROUS BUSINESS combines a murder mystery and feminist coming of age story set in 1850s California

A Dangerous Business

By Jane Smiley

Knopf: December 6, 2022

224 pages, $28.00

Jane Smiley has always been a restless writer. She’s written a Manhattan murder mystery (Duplicate Keys), a Norse saga (The Greenlanders), a family tragedy (A Thousand Acres, winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize), an acerbic academic comedy (Moo), a tribute to the world of horse racing (Horse Heaven), two historical novels (The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton and Private Life), a dark suburban comedy (Good Faith), a trilogy following a family through the 20th century (Some Luck, Early Warning, and Golden Age), and a charming tale about a circle of anthropomorphic animal friends (Perestroika in Paris).

In A Dangerous Business, Smiley has combined a murder mystery and a historical novel about a young widow making her way in 1851 Monterey, California. Newly married Eliza Ripple moved west with her volatile husband, only to find herself on her own when he is shot in a bar fight. With few options, she moves into a boarding house and goes to work at Mrs. Parks’ brothel. She soon befriends a prostitute named Jean from a house that caters to women.

When a series of young women turn up dead in the back country near Monterey and law enforcement appears to be uninterested, Eliza and Jean find their curiosity getting the best of them. Inspired by Poe’s investigator Auguste Dupin, they begin their own investigation. With her newly analytical eye, Eliza finds some of her clients suspicious. Jean’s ability to impersonate a man comes in handy on several occasions. Her life becomes complicated as she works at night and plays detective during the day. Mrs. Parks tells Eliza, “Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business.”

Through her friendship with Jean and her interactions with clients and other locals, Eliza slowly comes to know herself and what it means to be a relatively independent woman in the Gold Rush years. The serial killer mystery and coming of age elements merge nicely, with neither predominating. On one hand, that keeps A Dangerous Business from becoming a genre thriller or historical novel. On the other hand, it means the novel is neither fish nor fowl. The tension never builds as it could, and the character study is not quite as rich as in Smiley’s best work.

A Dangerous Business held my attention, but it wasn’t quite as compelling as I thought it would be. Eliza is always sympathetic, with her small-town perspective being broadened by her experiences, and her desire to live the life she wants. And Smiley gets the narrative voice just right for a story set in the mid-19th century. But the narrative maintains a slow and steady pace, only accelerating in the climactic scenes. And her friendship with a client-turned-friend who doesn’t fit the mold of typical Monterey men fades from the story toward the end.

It’s a solid read, and a relatively short one (224 pages), so if you’re a fan of Smiley’s work or like the sound of a hybrid mystery-coming of age story, A Dangerous Business is worth investigating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advanced reader copy of A DANGEROUS BUSINESS. This was a very quirky story that I found myself reading compulsively once I started it. I am a lover of all kinds of mysteries, and this was one I won't forget anytime soon. Some novels unfold like a movie in my mind thanks to strong character development and focus on quiet moments involving them. The author's attention to detail was very well-done and created a very sharp image as to the life of a prostitute in the 1850s in Monterey, CA. Eliza Ripple is a pragmatic, curious person whose friendship with Jean was a key component in sustaining my interest in this character-driven story. Jane Smiley did a superb job at drawing the setting as well--I got the sense life in Monterey, a town just post-Goldrush, was somewhat like life in a fishbowl as the Civil War is alluded to in a looming fashion. The style in which Ms. Smiley writes made me appreciate and take notice of each character and what made them so unique, whether it was Carlos, Mrs. Parks or any of Eliza's many male customers. I particularly admire when an author can take a character who has passed on, like Eliza's late husband Peter, and bring them vividly to life even though they're not really in the story. This was my first Jane Smiley novel, I will definitely be reading more of her books and hope too see another Eliza/Jean story.

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jane Smiley, but it won’t be the last. A Dangerous Business is about Eliza who is working in a brothel since her husband was killed in a bar fight. She actually likes working there better than when she was with her husband because he treated her horribly. The men she services are all different, but most are harmless. If there’s a man she’s concerned about, she can leave her door cracked so that Carlos (their protector) can keep an eye out.

When some starts murdering girls who work in Eliza’s profession, she and her friend, Jean, decide to investigate because the law doesn’t seem to care about the girls. Poor Eliza becomes suspicious of most men, but that’s understandable. The identity of the murderer has a twist, and I thought it had a god ending.

Like good historical fiction, A Dangerous Business has a good story, but it also has true historical facts. I’ve always been interested in American history, and that along with a murder mystery makes a great read.

Skip it unless you want to read a lot about the prostitution business. I abandoned it pretty quickly. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

When Eliza's husband was shot dead in a bar fight, she was relieved. Free of his abuse, and far from her controlling, religious parents, she set out to make her own way in 1851 Monterey, California.
In Jane Smiley's darkly delightful "A Dangerous Business," we meet Eliza, just 21, after she has established herself in the one career readily open to a young widow -- prostitution. She is flourishing; her madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, and Eliza has money of her own for the first time.
What she would like is a true friend, and she finds one in Jean, a sharp, savvy sex worker at another brothel, one that meets the needs of female clients.
But there's a wrinkle in this new, easy life. Young women, also prostitutes, have begun to disappear, one by one, and no one seems to care.
We readers will care, though, especially as Eliza and Jean begin investigating, on their own and at their own risk.
Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Perestroika in Paris" and "A Thousand Acres," crafts this simple story into a remarkable book.
Is it a whodunnit? Yes, certainly, as Eliza and Jean turn detective, inspired by the work of "Mr. Poe" and his pioneering sleuth, August Dupin.
But it is also a nifty piece of historical fiction, affectionately telling the story of Monterey (where Smiley, a St. Louis native and John Burroughs graduate, now lives) in the years after the gold rush has passed it by.
Throughout, too, is a theme of female empowerment, as Eliza finds her long-buried spunk through the inspiration of bold, eccentric Jean. Smiley excels here at bringing all the female characters, even those who barely make an appearance, to vibrant life.
But don't write off men in "A Dangerous Business." Sailors and ranchers, charming and peculiar, elderly or virginal, visit the brothel with stories that expand Eliza's world in ways she couldn't have imagined. Some could carry their own books, and hey -- Smiley has written a trilogy before, so how about it?
As Eliza tries to emulate the methods of Poe's Dupin -- considered fiction's first detective and the forerunner of the whole genre -- she puts herself in danger, needless to say.
But as her madam, Mrs. Parks, points out. she's already at risk just by virtue of her gender. "Between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
At a slender 224 pages, "A Dangerous Business" is both a speedy read and a rarity: A novel we might wish were a little longer.

A Dangerous Business shared the role of women in the mid 1850’s in the setting of Monterey, California. Jane Smiley brought to my mind’s eye the essence of small village life, the muddy streets, the small restaurants, travel by horses, the sailors at the harbor, and the controlling men who were free to do as they liked to women with little fear of reprisal.
Eliza, a young naive widow, who was abused by her husband finds herself in need of a job. An opening at a brothel solves her immediate needs and changes her path in life. She meets a free spirited friend named Jean. They actually seem to enjoy their careers and seem pretty happy with their lives, until a few women begin disappearing. I do have to admit that their efforts to solve the mystery were definitely not convincing to me. I continued to enjoy the story but found their rambling trips somewhat repetitive and unrealistic.
The ending was true justice. Loved Eliza’s plan for the future.
Many thanks to Jane Smiley, Knopf, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this recently published book. I enjoyed it, especially the description of life in Monterey, and look forward to more from Jane Smiley.

A Dangerous Business refers not just to the main character’s line of business (prostitution) but also to being a woman. Set in 1852-53, Eliza is a 21 year old woman in Monterey, CA whose husband was killed in a bar fight. Eliza is quite relieved and stays in CA on her own, working for one of the local brothels. When a young woman is killed, Eliza and her friend Jean are the only ones attempting to find out who killed her.
This novel is more character-driven rather than plot based but is also a quick read. I recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Jane Smiley’s previous novels and if you have not read this author previously, you need to check that!
Thanks to the author, Alfred A Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

A very odd little story. The plot is: two young prostitutes attempt to solve a series of murder in Gold Rush era California. The writing is enjoyable and strangely soothing, considering the subject matter, but I wasn't hungry to return to it as I was with one of Smiley's previous novels, A Thousand Acres. The pacing felt a bit haphazard, and I'm left with a vague sense of fruitlessness.

I wanted to like this book based on the premise of the story. Eliza turns to prostitution as a career after her husband, whom she didn't particularly like, was shot dead in a bar fight. She is living a good life and independent when women start showing up dead around her town. She and a friend decide to investigate. The author does a good job of painting the scenes so you can really visualize what she is describing. The overall writing, however, was mostly short choppy sentences that felt as though they were written by someone without any experience, certainly not a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Even the mystery wasn't enough to keep my attention. Unfortunately I couldn't push through this one and DNF at about 30%. Just too slow for me.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, the author did a wonderful job setting the tone and creating the atmosphere.
But the murder mystery that is supposed to be at the centre of this novel just wasn’t intriguing. I wasn’t able to stay focused or interested, there was just too much describing of the scenery and people around our MC that took away from what could have been dialogue or more on the murders and the missing women.
Overall, I liked the atmospheric feeling that was created, but it wasn’t enough to keep me engaged.

A very slow-paced mystery with a great historical setting. Two sex workers in Monterey, CA set off to discover who is murdering young women and why nobody cares. This is an unusual setting with unusual characters and is charming in its own way. The story will stick with you. As I read, I was able to picture everything Smiley described and I appreciated that greatly.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. So unusual!

A fascinating tale of friendship, mystery, and the plights of women in settling California. This novel kept me guessing, and ultimately rhe message will last longer and resonated more than the mystery itself. I found the mystery unsatisfying, but the rest of the novel more than made up for it.