MISS KOPP’S MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS
The best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble continues her extraordinary journey into the real lives of the forgotten but fabulous Kopp sisters.
Deputy sheriff Constance Kopp is outraged to see young women brought into the Hackensack jail over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity. The strong-willed, patriotic Edna Heustis, who left home to work in a munitions factory, certainly doesn’t belong behind bars. And sixteen-year-old runaway Minnie Davis, with few prospects and fewer friends, shouldn’t be publicly shamed and packed off to a state-run reformatory.
The best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble continues her extraordinary journey into the real lives of the forgotten but fabulous Kopp sisters.
Deputy sheriff Constance Kopp is outraged to see young women brought into the Hackensack jail over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity. The strong-willed, patriotic Edna Heustis, who left home to work in a munitions factory, certainly doesn’t belong behind bars. And sixteen-year-old runaway Minnie Davis, with few prospects and fewer friends, shouldn’t be publicly shamed and packed off to a state-run reformatory. But such were the laws—and morals—of 1916.
Constance uses her authority as deputy sheriff, and occasionally exceeds it, to investigate and defend these women when no one else will. But it’s her sister Fleurette who puts Constance’s beliefs to the test and forces her to reckon with her own ideas of how a young woman should and shouldn’t behave.
Against the backdrop of World War I, and drawn once again from the true story of the Kopp sisters, Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions is a spirited, page-turning story that will delight fans of historical fiction and lighthearted detective fiction alike.
- Mariner Books
- Paperback
- May 2018
- 400 Pages
- 9781328497611
Buy the Book
$14.99
About Amy Stewart
Amy Stewart is the award-winning author of seven books, including her acclaimed fiction debut Girl Waits with Gun and the bestsellers The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants. She and her husband live in Eureka, California, where they own a bookstore called Eureka Books.
Praise
“Perfect for book groups.”—Booklist
“Constance’s ability to hold her own in male-dominated investigations and courtrooms, as well as her determination to present the facts, makes her a welcome ‘vision of an entirely different kind of woman,’ hopefully with more tales to come. Lively and admirable female characters emboldened by their circumstances, impeccably realized and given new life by Stewart.”—Kirkus
“The cases here are based on the experiences of real women, a technique that Stewart has employed in previous volumes. Collectively, the story lines intersect to create an intriguing window into women’s rights and the social mores that women challenged on the eve of World War I. VERDICT A lovely addition for series fans and aficionados of historical fiction.”—Library Journal
Discussion Questions
1. How has the world changed and what progress has taken place throughout the Kopp Sisters Series?
2. How are the sisters’ roles continuing to evolve throughout the series, and how are the rolls becoming more defined?
3. This third book is written in third person instead of from Constance’s point of view. Did you notice this change? What do you think of it? What does it allow that Constance’s point of view did not?
4. What do you think of Sheriff Heath and Constance’s rapport? How has their relationship changed since book one?
5. In the newspaper interview, Constance shares the 6 requisites she believes are necessary for a detective, and says “At midnight a woman will tell almost anything if she finds one who is sympathetic to tell it to.” This is also included in the epigraph. In what ways are “help” and “sympathy” important themes in Constance’s life and in this book?
6. In the book, parents ask police to arrest daughters for lack of morals and waywardness—things as simple as staying out late, dating or taking jobs. Before Constance takes on more responsibility there is little or no defense available for these women. Were you surprised about this part of our history? The Mann Act still exists, but the meaning and use has changed. What does its new use say about how our society has changed or stayed the same since the early 1900s?
7. Even though Constance supports and defends women like Edna who are in jail for leaving home, Constance expresses concern when Fleurette leaves on her own adventure. Constance even follows her and asks others to check on her too. How is Constance similar to the parents who turn in their daughters? How is she different?
8. Norma is protective of her family. She initiates spying on Fleurette, handles all of Constance’s fan mail, and takes care of the farmhouse. Does she enjoy her role? Do you think it might change?
9. Even though Constance and May have very different personalities and jobs, they are both in strong positions for females at the time. How does being a woman affect their lives and their positions? How do they have to act differently than a men in the same positions?
10. Why does Fleurette lie about her experience on the show? What is she feeling at the end about her homecoming?