In December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright were in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, making history by flying an airplane they had built. Back at home in Dayton, Ohio, their sister, Katharine, teaches introductory languages at Steele High School. She hopes to achieve her goal by requesting to teach Greek III to upper-level students. Not to mention that her teaching is just one aspect of Katharine’s life. She also cares for her father at their family home and ensures her brothers’ bicycle shop runs smoothly, ordering supplies, checking accounts, and balancing the books. It’s almost Christmas, her brothers are coming home, and Katharine never suspected another role, a high-stakes role, will soon take priority.

I was not aware of the Wright brothers' sister. I was fascinated to learn of Katharine Wright. To learn of the reliance by her father and brothers for her care of the family home since the loss of her mother at 15 and the brothers for their business when out of town, her intelligence, independence, and strong work ethic, her interest in moving beyond gender inequality, is inspirational and revealing of a woman moving the benchmark of men's thinking and habits forward in her quiet way.

I loved the combination of unveiling a woman in history who deserves as much respect and recognition as her brothers and a fictional mystery woven by a master storyteller, which is a delight to read. Although I had read from the start that the mystery was fictional, the author’s meticulous research of history made the mystery seem entirely plausible.

Don’t miss meeting Katharine Wright! Highly recommended.

The "Author Note" and “Discussion Questions” are available at the end of the novel.

Thank you to Amanda Flower, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

Katharine Wright is home in Dayton, Ohio, minding the bicycle shop her brothers, Orville and Wilbur, have temporarily abandoned while in North Carolina with their flying machines. She is a full-time Latin teacher who becomes frustrated with the gender inequality she encounters at work and in society in general. When her brothers come home for the holidays and the plans for their flying machine are stolen, it falls to Katharine to solve the crime. But when her primary suspect is found dead, she has a bigger crime to solve – to keep her brothers out of jail.

This is what I hope is the first book in a new series by one of my favorite authors. I like Katharine; she is intelligent and doesn’t let her being a “mere woman” stop her from doing much of anything. Her family and friends are sometimes aghast at her behavior, but she perseveres. The background story of the Wright brothers’ first flight was a fun addition, and the steps needed to obtain a patent gave me something to think about.

Although the police seemed to think they had the murderer in custody, there were actually quite a few possible suspects to think about. I was glad when some of them were ruled out, but kept waffling between two or three of the remaining characters. One person stood out in my mind as the most likely killer, and I was eventually proven correct, but I had not figured out the motive, although it should have been obvious. The identity of the person who stole the plans for the flying machine should also have been obvious, but I was so wrapped up in the murder investigation, I forgot all about the theft until it was revealed in the book.

If this is to become a series, I look forward to reading the next book when it is released.

1903 Dayton, Ohio

Orville and Wilbur Wright are well known. This novel's heroine is their younger sister Katharine. The mystery is fictional, but many details about the family are factual. Katharine was a Latin Teacher at a local high school and took care of the brothers' bicycle shop while they were away testing flight ideas.

When the Wright Brothers plans go missing and a young man is found murdered, Katharine works to find the missing plans and suss out the murder's identity. She takes a no nonsense and no hesitation approach to solving the mysteries.

It was fun to simultaneously solve the mysteries while learning more about the Wright Family. Loving the historical mysteries with a factual base the author is writing.

Katie Wright is the lesser known Wright but she's a firecracker, It's 1903, someone's stolen her brothers' plans, and then there's a murder and she turns intrepid investigator. It's a unique cozy with a good heroine. And I learned a bit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

To Slip the Bonds of Earth
A Riveting Mystery Based On a True History
by Amanda Flower

My Thoughts
Characters
Katharine Wright is the younger sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright. In To Slip the Bonds of Earth, Flower brings this little-known figure to life in this lively historical mystery. Katharine is a Greek teacher in Dayton’s Steele High School, runs the home she shares with her brothers and widowed father, and oversees her brothers’ bicycle shop when they are in Kitty Hawk working on their flying experiments. She’s an intelligent, independent woman. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and is often frustrated by the constraints placed on her because she is a woman. I love this character.

Mystery
Word is out that the Wright Brothers have achieved the unthinkable-they’ve flown an airplane. Now competitors want to get their hands on brothers’ flight plans before they are patented. Wilbur takes them to a party rather than leave them unattended at home, where they are stolen. When Katharine’s chief suspect is found murdered, it is up to her to solve the case, recover the plans, and clear her brother’s name. There are plenty of viable suspects, legitimate motives, but only one solution.

Publishing Info
Publisher: Kensington
Genres: Fiction/Mystery & Detective/Historical
Pages: 288
On Sale: 03/26/24
ISBN: 9781496747662

Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such a delightful and unique story! I know very little about the Wright brother's (and you don't need to know anything to read this) let alone that they had a sister! I loved how this was very truthful in historical facts but then the fun twist of Katharine solving a mystery.

There are so many historical fiction or romance books written during the World Wars, Wild West or Victorian times, it was great to read a book from a time that isn't greatly written about.

The characters were interesting (some I liked more than others obviously).

My only negatives were that it was a little dry or dragging in some spots (sounded a little too much like a history book) & that I couldn't connect the title to the book.

I have been looking forward to reading this book as I really enjoy Ms Flower's series based around Emily Dickinson's maid. Like that series, the author does an amazing job setting up the history, the time and place, and making you see it as it was. I will be honest and say it took me a while to warm up to Katherine Wright, Orville and Wilbur's younger sister. She definitely had an interesting and demanding life, head of the household since her mother's death when she was 15, dealing with her father the Bishop, supporting her famous brothers by helping to run their bike shop while they were in Kitty Hawk working on their "flying" machine and working full time as a teacher of Latin and Greek. She was outspoken and took no nonsense. In this story, she is supporting a friend when she manages to get herself and her brother Orville in the middle of a gruesome murder at a Christmas party. Since valuable papers of her brothers experiments disappear at the same time, Katherine is convinced there is a connection between the thief and murder and she is on the case. It's definitely a multi-layered mystery. Thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensingtonbooks for the opportunity to read.

I liked the premise of this book. Wilbur and Orville Wright are well known, but what about their sister? The one who kept the family together as their father was not well, ran their business (a bicycle shop), kept the books, and taught Latin? Katherine comes to the forefront in this book, and I admired her greatly.

This book shines an unrelenting light on how women in that time were put down and kept down, no matter how talented. When the family was invited to a party, where a person was murdered, and Orville was a suspect (and also lost the improved plans for the brothers' flying machine), it is Katherine who steps up and investigates.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher Kensington books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Amanda Flower writes a lively mystery. Interesting characters, not easily to guess the bad guy, but I missed some depth. The Wilbur brothers add a nice touch to this story. Katie is going great lengths to find the murderer and to retrieve that what was stolen from her brother. If you like a historical mystery then this book is for you.

I love seeing new characters in history brought to life! I've been to the Wright's house before I read this book, and this really brought it to life.

Really excited to read more from Amanda Flower. P.S. if you aren't following her on Instagram for the cute cat pictures... do it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Katharine Wright is the younger sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright and she's more excited than anyone when she receives a telegram from her brothers announcing their first successful flight. The plans they used to the build their flying machine are top-secret. If the plans fall into the wrong hands, someone else could copy the plans and patent the invention themselves. When the plans go missing and the thief turns up dead, Katharine must find the plans and save her brothers' invention.

I absolutely loved Katharine, she was the perfect combination of traditional and progressive woman. I love that she's willing to fight for equal rights, but doesn't look down her nose at taking care of her family. I love that she's a creative problem solver and willing to keep pushing to save the day for her brothers. The mystery was great, actually quite simple in the end but there were so many clues and red herrings that I had not guessed the killer correctly.

This is definitely my new favorite historical cozy series and I look forward to reading future books in the series!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

3.5 stars

This decent historical cozy featured Katharine Wright, who was Orville and Wilbur's sister. Based loosely on actual facts, the story tells that she was a teacher who graduated from Oberlin College. Katharine had a strong feminist bent, which was true as she became an active suffragette.

As the story takes place, her brothers are in Kitty Hawk and have made their first "sustained" flight. Their feat is receiving almost no attention but since the patent is not firm yet and others are working in the same field, they don't mind the lack of publicity.

Katharine and Orville are at a Christmas party when some important flying machine documents and plans are stolen. While looking for them, Orville discovers the murdered body of a man he has just had a very public scene with.

Katharine has to investigate to find the missing documents. She is a strong character, torn between her aggravation at the sexist world she lives in and her family obligations to her her patriarchal father and brothers. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a historical mystery set in 1903 in Ohio. Katharine had a hard time remembering that her goal was to find the stolen plans. She spent no time looking for them but switched to proving that her student wasn't the murderer, or maybe discovering whodunit. She asked questions, broke into buildings to poke around, read letters not meant for her, and generally annoyed people. Yet she didn't figure out whodunit or find out who had the plans. Whodunit helpfully decided to confess in front of witnesses. It's never adequately explained how everyone seemed to know that Orville had Critically Important Plans in his jacket pocket, and it's mind-boggling that he took them to a party instead of leaving them behind with Wilbur. So I found the mystery pretty disappointing and, yes, I guessed whodunit before the reveal.

Katharine certainly had courage and drive, but she's not willing to listen to anyone's advice, even the people she's supposedly helping. She just did what she wanted to do, usually very impulsively and without thinking out the consequences. She had a quick temper, which didn't make her any friends, but she felt completely justified in her behavior. She lied all the time, yet was so disappointed when she caught her maid in a lie. She wasn't especially logical. For example, she couldn't decide if she should trust the description of a man given by a servant that she knew who was familiar with the man or the besotted description of him given by her best friend. Basically, I didn't find her very likable, and none of the other characters were particularly engaging. There was no sex or bad language.

A terrific tale mingling real history with a mystery!
Katherine Wright was an amazing woman in real life. Her intelligence and tenacity for truth made her a dynamic sleuth. She was also a loyal friend and caring sister. I liked how the author used her as an amateur sleuth to solve the crime and added historical facts to make it feel authentic. It made me want to learn more about her real life after reading this and the notes at the end.
Fans of Jen Turano's books, Enola Holmes and Murdoch mysteries may enjoy this one also. It was fast paced, well written and an overall entertaining read. Clean, with just a hint of romance for a side character, it would be fine for teenagers and up who enjoy a good mystery. It would make a good series!
Recommend! 5 stars

This is a read about the famous Wright brother's sister Katharine, and it involves the people living in 1903 Dayton, Ohio. Yes, Orville and Wilbur were off at Kitty Hawk when Katharine is busy at home teaching Latin, and she ruffles a prominent citizens son.
We are there when her friend begs her to go, and she does to the son's parent's Christmas party, along with her brother Wilbur. Would you expect a murder? Well, there is one, and now we are on a journey for answers, and they do come!
It is an interesting page turner! A secret club, deception, theft, and then murder, but whom is the guilty party, and will things ever be the same, including the development of the air industry?
Now I'm look forward to the next book in this series!

We hear about Orville and Wilbur Wright, but we don't often hear about their sister Katharine. In To Slip the bonds of Earth Katharine must help her brothers find the lost plans for their flying machine. In order to do that she must solve the mystery of a murder while also navigating a very male dominated society that sets no value on a single woman, especially a strong-willed one like Katharine.

I've really enjoyed author Amanda Flower's books. Which means I've really enjoyed her novels with "real" people in them. Her Emily Dickinson Mystery series and now this Mystery in the First Days of Flight featuring the Wright brothers and their sister Katharine. I love how the author incorporates history into the mystery that she is telling. I found the mystery in To Slip the Bonds of Earth solid and believable. I enjoyed learning a bit about Orville and Wilbur, but I especially enjoyed Katharine's character. There were a few quotes throughout the book that I found interesting or harsh or downright ticked me off! The first one is,

"Miss Wright," Randolph said, "When I want your opinion, I will ask for it. I can see why you are an old maid. No man would put up with the constant second-guessing you seem determined to inflict on everyone around you. If you do ever marry, you would surely send your unfortunate husband to an early grave."

Ouch! I found that a bit harsh and was thinking seriously did men talk to women like that? But it truly fit in with Randolph's character!

"I could give her a whole host of reasons why Latin was an important language to learn. It helped students master English, for one."

I liked that one because I think the same can be said about reading, it helps a person get a grasp of the language and teaches them new things. I loved that teacher-side of Katharine's character. She truly cared about her students learning.

"Every woman had her secrets, including me."

I loved that last line of the book! Even though she was living in a male dominated society she was able to be herself and keep her own council.

To Slip the Bonds of Earth was entertaining and educational and very well researched. I enjoyed it tremendously and am hoping that we will see more of Katharine and her brothers.

I've read a number (perhaps all) of Flower's books, and they never fail to delight. Her latest, the start of a new series, is no exception!

While I am familiar with the Wright Brothers, I didn't know much about their sister Katharine. She's intelligent, opinionated, and extremely loyal to those she loves. The mystery allows Katharine to become an amateur sleuth, and the readers are able to unravel the clues with her. Pacing is perfect for the genre, and I loved the historical details woven throughout. There are enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Flower does a great job using real-life figures to create an engaging novel. I look forward to reading other books in this series.

This is a very well researched historical fiction book about Katherine, the sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright. When the blueprints for their flying machine come up missing the brothers are extremely concerned that someone else will claim their innovation as his own. They applied for a patent in 1903 but it was not approved until 1908. All the characters are very well described as are the surroundings. This is an excellent book in which to learn about the Wright brothers mostly unknown sisters. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in historical fiction. . I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

An o.k. mystery with interesting historical background. Before I read this, I knew nothing about Katherine Wright, Wilbur and Orville's sister. However, I never felt like any of the characters particularly came to life, and I also didn't particularly like Katharine. Too often I felt like events were being reported; I wasn't quite able to disappear int the story. Still, I did want to finish the book. Not a bad book for light reading but I'm not going to be seeking out others by the author.

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one.