It's a delightful follow up to Girl Wait with Gun, Amy Stewart - also author of wonderful nonfiction - brings Constance Kopp back. Now on of the first sheriffs. Kopp takes on a new foe in this one, and while it doesn't break new ground, the journey is a lot of fun.

The continuing story of New Jersey’s first female Sheriff’s Deputy, Constance Kopp. Deputized at the end of Girl Waits with Gun, Kopp is demoted at the start of Lady Cop Makes Trouble. Sheriff Health is always at odds with the Freeholders (his governing board) and ends up backing down on her promotion. He demotes Kopp to the matron of the county jail. Before this happens we see an additional woman detective (who isn’t as bold as Kopp, but she also isn’t even getting paid!) We see who limited the detective's role is in comparison to Kopp. However, in this less exciting role as jail matron, we see a glimpse of the kind of trouble women get into. From getting caught up in nefarious schemes, to being drugged, extorted, and shooting in self-defense. We are still years away from women’s suffrage. We see how hard it is to make headway for even the hardiest of women.

Most of the story centers on an escaped prisoner (who escaped during a power outage). Kopp must re-capture the prisoner or the sitting Sheriff will lose his badge and be sent to jail in the prisoner's place (which seems like a very stupid rule, but historically accurate). Kopp dedicated detective work is in full play. This is always the most fun part of the book for me. We see the characters and how they lived their lives. It always seems that the historical day-to-day gets ignored during war-time. There is a great deal of change afoot.

Excellent continuation of the series with great historical fact checks at the end of the book. The time period is an excellent backdrop for as World War I is raging, the roles of women are changing.