A fun read! I liked Kate Warne from the first page! Ms. Macallister tells a good story of a character that I never knew about! Congrats and thanks for bringing her story to us in such a fun way!

First Line: Like any Chicago tavern in deep summer, Joe Mulligan's stank.

Summary: Kate Warne is a widow looking for her place in the world. She doesn't fit into the conventional occupations of women during the 1850s in Chicago but when she walks into the Pinkerton Detective Agency she finds her calling. Based on the real life first female detective in the USA. Kate goes undercover to find thieves and murderers. No one believes a woman can do this job but she proves them wrong.

Highlights: I love the history. I have never heard about Kate Warne but she sounds fascinating even though we don't know much about her. I loved Greer Macallister's first book and was excited to read this one too! She writes a gripping story with amazing leading characters. I liked that the cases were all short so that the story doesn't drag on and get slow.

Lowlights: I felt like the end was a little flat. I wanted a little more but it needed to be summed up and it did that. But still a great book!

FYI: Some violence. Great for lovers of historical fiction and books about strong women who defy the times.

I love reading historical fiction. I think reading this book now is very timely as it is Women's Month.

Kate Warne, protagonist, widow, confident and has strong personality who became the first female detective at Pinkerton National Detective Agency. She needs to prove herself that she qualifies as a detective. The story goes how Kate disguises and use it to gather information nd solve cases.

Set in 18th century when women experience stereotype and treated unfairly. Below are some quotes from the book that proves that situation:

"Women are too delicate to do what our position requires. You might skate by for a while, but there will be a reckoning. When the day comes and you're called to perform an extraordinary task, you'll find yourself unable."

"To the world, being a wife meant being a mother, which meant leaving the work."

As for my review, I was hooked in the "Blue Eyes" chapter. I do had a feeling that Tim is Kate's partner here. I am also expecting a lot of banters between the two but I was disappointed that they does not interact much because of their own assignments. However, I did not expect how they develop their feelings for each other. And I must say that it is my favorite part of the book. The pretense became real. The touch became real. The feelings became real. They were a lovely couple.

The turn of events were not exciting, at first. But when Kate and other operatives became spies, it was exhilarating! How they observed and moved without anyone noticing them... that's breath-taking! Their actions were smooth and no one even suspects Kate! Further, I did not expect Mortenson's role and that made me scream! I was devastated of what happened to Tim.

I was also shocked to know DeFrost's preference! Well, I really did not expect that as it set in 18th century. But I think it's great that Ms. Greer Macallister include a character that represents LGBT because I believe that we need more diverse books and I think, somehow, this one is a diverse book.

Moreover, I think it was amazing to include Abraham Lincoln, George McClellan, and Ward Hill Lamon in the story and how they became associated with Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Most the scenes and characters were base from facts and I like that as I really learned a lot from the history!

I would like to commend Ms. Greer Macallister, as how she write in details that important scenes. Further, I love how she grabbed the opportunity for the "freedom to imagine Kate Warne". For me, this books represents women empowerment because Kate Warne is the first female detective and Ms. Greer described how a woman can change the history.

When I was a child, I dreamt of becoming a detective but I know that it is impossible and realized how dangerous it is as a detective. It will also take a lot of patience, courage, and strong-willed to become an operative.

Kate Warne is widowed and jobless in 1856. She reads an ad for operatives being hired for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. She becomes the first female operative in an agency full of men. They do not make it easy for her in the work environment, but she is strong and determined. The chapters are stories of cases that she handles. This is a good historical fiction with a strong female lead. I enjoyed it very much.

Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister is based on the real life of the first female Pinkerton agent, Kate Warne. It is 1856 in Chicago, Illinois and Kate Warne needs a job. She is a widow with little in the way of funds. In response to an advertisement, Kate arrives at the offices of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Kate is interviewed by Allan Pinkerton who states that they do not hire women. She asks him for an opportunity to prove her worth by solving a case. If she can close the investigation, Kate will get a position. Pinkerton agrees and gives her an opportunity to recover money stolen from First Eagle Savings Bank. With a little assistance, Kate is successful and gets her position as the first female Pinkerton agent. Unfortunately, her fellow agents are not as welcoming as Allan Pinkerton. Kate sets out to learn the skills she needs to be a successful agent and prove to the men that she is an asset. We get to follow Kate as she learns her craft and shows how valuable female agents can be to the agency. Kate is so successful that Pinkerton needs to start a Female Bureau of Detectives, and he wishes Kate to head it. This is a great opportunity for Kate, and she embraces the challenge. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Kate feels her services are more valuable in the field. Kate’s skills could prove vital to the country during this time of upheaval. But life is not all rosy for Kate. Pick up a copy of Girl in Disguise to find out what happens to Kate Warne.

Girl in Disguise is a slow starter, but it gets better the further I got into the story. The novel is nicely written, and I did find it appealing. I wish, though, that the author had focused on Kate’s joining the Pinkerton agency and maybe one or two cases. Kate’s life would have made a great series. Each book could have focused on a new case. The novel starts in 1856 and takes us through the end of the Civil War. I was dissatisfied with the romance portion of the book and how it affected Kate. It just did not seem to go with her personality or behavior prior to this point. I give Girl in Disguise 4 out of 5 stars. The book, in a way, reminds me of a biography. But it lacked the depth you would find in one. We do not get enough details on Kate and her life as an agent. It is a superficial overview. I would have loved more details especially when she first started out as an agent. It is supposed to be a fictionalized account, so I wish the author had pushed it a little further. The ending was a bit of a letdown. It would have been nice if the author had included an epilogue showcasing the end of Kate Warne’s life. I am interested in finding out more information about Kate Warne and her life. I know that little information on Kate and her activities survived the Chicago Fire of 1871, but I hope to find more details than were available in Girl in Disguise. If you enjoy reading historical novels, check out Girl in Disguise.

I could see this becoming a TV series - something between Turn & Alias. Very nice historical fiction.

Despite some things that I didn't enjoy, Girl in Disguise was a really interesting piece of historical fiction. It had an engaging setting, complex characters, and an interesting enough story that surprisingly character driven. While this didn't quite live up to my expectations it was a good read. If you like historical fiction then pick this up but if you are looking for a complex mystery this is probably not the book for you.

Girl in Disguise tells the fictionalized story of Kate Warne who, in real life, was the first female detective ever. Specifically working for the Pinkerton Detective Agency based in Chicago. Kate's cases will take her from the streets of Chicago rooting out bank thieves and disgruntled employees, to a spy for the Union during the Civil War, even going so far as to play a prominent role in thwarting a plot to assassinate President Lincoln before he could be sworn into office.

But underneath the intrigue and adventure of being a detective, Kate still has to prove and establish herself constantly within a field seen fit by many for only men. The fact that Kate digs her own niche in the detective community is praise-worthy in its own right, but that she becomes so successful at it and not because of the men she works with but because of her own intelligence and cunning is truly inspiring.

I loved hearing about this largely unknown historical figure. I wish there was more actual information out there about her, but I like what Greer Macallister has given Kate Warne with her story. The seeds of truth are in there even though the book is categorized as historical fiction.

I think as to be expected given the subject matter, Girl in Disguise moved along at a swift pace. Kate's life was such that often she was required to pack at a moment's notice and be on the move. There was very little down time, and so the story didn't get bogged down with too many slow moments. There were times, however, when Kate would question her life and her choices. The job of a detective required Kate to take on differing personas, and as she stated, often outright lie to people. Create long and detailed histories for the people she had to be in order to find the information she needed to close a case. Kate finds herself actually losing herself. She doesn't know where the real Kate begins at times and / or where the lie ends. She had a rather lonely life, and heartbreaking. Sometimes, as with all of us, it got to be too much, but Kate would never let it get her down for long because in the end, she absolutely loved her job and the good she brought because of it.

That's not to say Kate didn't form any meaningful or lasting relationships. Greer Macallister certainly paints the story to include Kate forming bonds with some, albeit not all, of her fellow detectives, and she even goes on to head up the Female Detective leg of the agency. Kate had quite the colorful and rewarding life. For me, the parts the revolved around the Civil War were the most interesting. I liked seeing things from a different side, meaning seeing things from the side of a spy, who is not out on the battlefront but is in just as much danger.

Overall, I really enjoyed Girl in Disguise. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction. And if you're someone who, in the past hasn't really liked reading historical fiction, I'd say Girl in Disguise is just the type of story to change your mind.

My intrigue in this book began with the cover. it stopped me in my tracks. The font, the coloring, the imagery is captivating. Even without knowing anything else about the book I knew I needed to read it. Then, of course, when I saw the premise (the first female Pinkerton agent), this book flew to the top of my to-read list, and I'm so glad I was able to spend some time with Kate Warne. As I soon learned as I flew through the pages -- the pacing of the novel is very quick, which I love -- she was a remarkable woman: strong-willed, independent, clever (in both mind and tongue), and a trailblazer. I enjoyed the role other women played in the book as well, seeing a few names pop up from Karen Abbott's Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, a nonfiction book set during the Civil War that I really enjoyed. All in all, a highly enjoyable book that I'd recommend to all historical fiction fans.

Thanks SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and netgalley for this ARC.

Girl Power! Getting to know a early female detective and the Pinkertons makes for exciting, adventurous, and memorable reading.

Told in the first person, this book is the tale of the first female detective of the Pinkerton Agency, Kate Warne. Amazingly enough she actually existed although so little was known about her that her name was misspelled on her tombstone. The author has done a great job of creating a fully developed character to describe the experience of breaking through a male-only profession that barely existed at the time. She comes across as somewhat hard-boiled, like early detectives, in the first half of the book, as she learns her new trade. The investigations are interesting as is the time and place, Chicago in the late 1850s. With the rising hostilities of the Civil War, the book really takes off and our heroine becomes much more engaging in traveling through the South. I couldn't put the book down and was fascinated by her activities. She went from detective to spy in the blink of an eye. For fans of historical fiction, this is one great book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

What a fabulous read. I read it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. I have never delved into Pinkerton history, so to spend a few hours learning something new and in such an entertaining way was delightful. And meeting Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective was an absolute pleasure. I really grew to adore her. She was spunky and brave and I am in awe of her.

I also felt their were some very timely themes in this book, as it delves into Lincoln and the Civil War. I must say I felt there were a lot of parallels to our own history right now. And there were some allusions to Women's Rights and the fight that is still being waged on that front today. Very interesting to see how some things have changed, but so many things have not. Sadly.

Mostly though this book was a very entertaining, very awesome look at an amazing woman and I highly recommend it to anyone who would enjoy a bit of historical fiction, a tiny bit of romance, and a fascinating look at the Pinkerton Agency and its first woman detective. I loved every moment I spent in these pages.

Truth be told, I'd never heard of Kate Warne before reading the description of this book, and that's a pity. Her life both before and during her career as a Pinkerton agent is somewhat as a mystery as few records exist, but what is known of her is fascinating, and the lack of details gave the author room to work with. Through the first two-thirds of this book, I felt that we weren't really getting to know Kate very well as a character, and that the book suffered what felt to me like a lack of a cohesive plot, instead seeming like more a series of stories about cases and events Kate was involved in. However, the last third or so of the book felt like it had both a more cohesive narrative and Kate became a more fully developed, human character. Greer Macallister has a talent for writing about interesting, unusual, compelling women and history.

I didn’t know what to expect from Girl in Disguise having not read Macallister’s debut novel The Magician’s Lie or knowing much about the Pinkertons/ that era of American history to be perfectly honest. However, I do enjoy a good historical yarn now and then as long it’s not too bogged down in facts and figures, so I was eager to give it a try.

We first meet Kate Warne – famous for being the first ever female detective – when she is setting out to be just that. She answers an ad in a paper knowing full well that it will be difficult to persuade them that she’s the right man for the job, as it were. But of course she does, and so we follow Kate as she begins her training with Allan Pinkerton to learn everything she can about being an undercover operative.

Kate has a bit of a shaky start, including a run-in with colleague Bellamy but after that we watch her go from strength to strength and become more confident and cunning in her abilities.

I really enjoyed Macallister’s take on Kate Warne. She could probably come across quite cold and stern to some but because we hear the story from her point of view we know differently, we know it’s merely a self-defence tactic which is necessary for her to adopt considering all the things that are stacked against her. The main one of course being that she is a woman in a time where ‘respectable’ women aren’t even supposed to have jobs, never mind this kind of job.

I liked that Girl in Disguise is an action-packed adventure but also uses Kate Warne’s story to explore a lot of interesting issues surrounding equality. In a time of female oppression, Kate not only makes ground-breaking steps forward, she is also fiercely aware that other women are so accustomed to inequality that they’re often their own worst enemies…

They don’t hesitate to hang women down here”

“Could they be so awful?”

“What’s awful about it?” she shrugged. “Our crimes are as serious as theirs. Our punishments should be too.”

“A miserable sort of equality to hope for.”

Even in these terrible circumstances, she looked proud. “If we take the good, we also have to take the bad.We don’t get to fetch it up piecemeal.”

I think that sort of double-standards still rings true today. There is also the character of Deforest who Kate – whilst working on her tracking skills – discovers he is harbouring a secret that would see him hanged – he’s gay. Kate and Deforest’s friendship was my favourite in the novel, and I liked how the author captured her initial reaction and how her attitude towards him changed throughout the book. It rang true to the era and didn’t take the easy route of making Kate completely ambivalent towards it.

“In some way, I couldn’t possibly fathom him, his unnatural interests, his decision to be like he was. But the undertow of his terror, I understood.”

Macallister has done a great job in researching the real Kate Warne and building on that with her own version of the detective. Like I said earlier, I’m not a fan of historical fiction when it’s all facts and no storytelling but there was definitely a lot of storytelling here, with the facts seamlessly embedded. I thought some of Macallister’s descriptions were lovely too, making it a compelling read.

“The woman lay on the carpet as if resting, which I suppose she was, only forever.”

My one critique is that first half of the book felt a bit like a montage of events which made the pace nice and fast but I longed for more detail; it sometimes felt like Macallister was trying to fit too much in at once. She could have concentrated on just one or two of Warne’s interesting cases rather than an overview of many. This was most definitely improved on in the second half of the book though.

In this novel we see Kate Warne’s rise and fall, and the changing attitudes towards her from those around her. It’s a fun, rollercoaster of a read, and one which reads as a love letter to plucky women whose actions make the world a better place. Therefore it’s bound to be called a great feminist story, but I’d prefer to just call it a great story, Full Stop

Great historical fiction about Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton agent. It begins in 1856 Chicago, where Kate has to use her quick mind, independent spirit and knack for deception to solve the cases she is assigned to. Like Nellie Bly, the investigative reporter, Kate faces the misogynistic and ignorant views toward women being anything in life but wives and mothers. Sadly 161 years later these small minded thoughts are still prevalent. This story was so well-written I felt as if I was on the case with Kate trying to find the criminals and even saving a President-Elect's life. I would have loved to met Kate Warne, a true pioneer of women!

Girl in Disguise is the story of Kate Warne, the first female detective hired by the Pinkerton Agency. Her story is fascinating and inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed the history of the Pinkerton Agency, and its involvement in various historical figures and incidents including Abraham Lincoln. Greer Macallister makes the characters come alive while teaching the reader a lot about the Civil War era. My only quibble is that I would have preferred a slightly different ending. I cannot say more without ruining the story, but I love happy endings, and I kept hoping this story would end differently. Girl in Disguise is worth the read, and the cover is absolutely fantastic. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Today is International Women's Day. More power to all the strong, loving, generous and kind women in the world. It's just fitting that a book about a very strong, skilled and intuitive woman is what I am featuring today. Girl in Disguise is a historical fiction based on the first woman spy.

I thought Mrs. Pollifax was the most amazing spy ever but before her, there was Kate Warne. A widow, who was desperate for an employment, convinced Mr. Pinkerton to take her in as the first private investigator. The first woman to embark on a world dominated by men. She was underestimated and was told she won't do but she challenged Mr. Pinkerton to test her by sending her on a real assignment, and if she succeeds, he will have no choice but hire her. To Mr. Pinkerton and all of the detective agency's astonishment, she succeeded and got on board to start her training. Much to Mr. Pinkerton's delight and shock, a lot of assignments require the finesse and intuition of a woman. So, the rising career of Kate Warne lifted off until she had to lead and train her own group of women operatives to answer to the rising needs of the agency and of the changing times in Chicago and the whole US.

Kate Warne's uncanny and exceptional talent in seeing what's not obvious the eludes even the most attentive person and her strong intuition, inherent only to a woman, has made her one of the most instrumental characters in keeping Abraham Lincoln alive and ultimately contributing to the end of the Civil War. Apart from this two exemplary exploits, she also had other assignments that added to her badge as a seasoned, resourceful and dependable Pinkerton operative. Her missions took her to various parts of Chicago and all over the US. Solving mysteries and exposing secrets that are even too deadly for strong-bodied men to accomplish. She had proven that being a woman is not a weakness but rather an asset. An asset that is often overlooked and underestimated which could only prove deadly because nobody sees what is coming.

She had her own share of hurts and pains, heartaches and being powerless to stop the death of her beloved. Kate Warne was one of those first women who had broken the walls that separate men from women. She had proven that women are not limited by their gender, or weak, to be able to perform whatever task a man can do - just like being a spy, to wear disguises, infiltrate secret societies and ferret out valuable information right out of the horse's mouth.

The only reason I am not giving this a perfect rating is because there were parts that were a bit dull. A narrative of sorts that seemed to be long-winded. I think it was in a way necessary to get an understanding of the succeeding events. I don't fault the author for that but I just wished it maintained the same pace and energy throughout the whole book. Nevertheless, it was still a good read. For one who is an avid reader of thrillers and mysteries, this book can hold its own.

I give this book 4/5 sealed envelopes. This book is a good example of women empowerment. Books that celebrate women, heroines and strong characters that broke through stereotype. Happy Women's Day everyone! This is a salute to all the extraordinary and amazing woman in the world. Whether you are a mother, a teacher, or whatever your struggles are, you deserve respect, love, and understanding. Who rules the world, girls?



We are all misrepresenting ourselves to each other after all. To live in this world daily was to traffic in the business of leading other people astray.
- Greer McAllister, Girl in Disguise -

I really liked this book, the writing is amazing and I love historical novels based on real people. Kate Warner is a great protagonist and she lived during a fascinating period of American history. I really enjoyed reading about the first female spy/detective and her contributions to the civil war.

Like some of the other reviewers, I wouldn't have minded more details on the various cases, but getting an overview over most of Kate Warne's career was still really interesting.

Although this book wasn't quite what I was expecting, I enjoyed getting to know and imagine the tough and smart Kate Warne throughout her career. The real couldn't-put-it-down parts of the book didn't come until the end, but it's well worth sticking with it. I would recommend this book to fans of mystery, strong female characters, and historical fiction.