LADY COP MAKES TROUBLE
After besting (and arresting) a ruthless silk factory owner and his gang of thugs in Girl Waits with Gun, Constance Kopp became one of the nation’s first deputy sheriffs. She’s proven that she can’t be deterred, evaded, or outrun. But when the wiles of a German-speaking con man threaten her position and her hopes for this new life, and endanger the honorable Sheriff Heath, Constance may not be able to make things right.
Based on the Kopp sisters’ real-life adventures, Girl Waits with Gun introduced the sensational lives of Constance Kopp and her unconventional sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers.
After besting (and arresting) a ruthless silk factory owner and his gang of thugs in Girl Waits with Gun, Constance Kopp became one of the nation’s first deputy sheriffs. She’s proven that she can’t be deterred, evaded, or outrun. But when the wiles of a German-speaking con man threaten her position and her hopes for this new life, and endanger the honorable Sheriff Heath, Constance may not be able to make things right.
Based on the Kopp sisters’ real-life adventures, Girl Waits with Gun introduced the sensational lives of Constance Kopp and her unconventional sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers. This second installment, also ripped from the headlines, takes us further into the romping, riveting story of a woman who defied expectations, forged her own path, and tackled crime—and nefarious criminals!—along the way.
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Paperback
- May 2017
- 336 Pages
- 0544947134
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
“A fine, historically astute novel . . . The sisters’ personalities flower under Stewart’s pen.”—New York Times Book Review
“An unforgettable, not-to-be-messed-with heroine . . . The rest is kickass history.”—Marie Claire
“Stewart gives us three sisters whose bond—scratchy and well-worn but stronger for it—is unspoken but effortless.”—NPR
“Fans of strong female characters will find their new favorite heroine in Constance Kopp.”—Cosmopolitan
Discussion Questions
1. In addition to her deputy sheriff duties, Constance serves Paterson as the jail matron. How do the expectations and requirements of this aspect of her job compare to those of her work as a deputy? How does each position speak to Constance’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. In an era where women have limited options, discuss how characters like Providencia Monafo, Mrs. Heath, Aunt Adele, and Constance deal with fears and disappointments; how do they each choose to cope?
3. “Deputies follow the orders given to them by the sheriff,” says Sheriff Heath (p240). Those who don’t, he asserts, are called “outlaws.” Do you think Constance is an outlaw according to this definition? What power do titles and labels really have—can one still embody a role without “officially” owning its label?
4. Sheriff Heath goes to great pains to keep Constance’s name out of the papers and keep her from public shame over losing von Matthesius. Do you think it’s reckless of her to pursue the man despite the Sheriff’s direct orders to the contrary? What would you have done in her place? What other “rules” does Constance break (or bend) in her life?
5. When they catch Reinhold, the messenger boy, he exclaims, “Rudy told me to watch for police, but he didn’t say nothing about a lady.” (p234) Many characters focus on women not being able to do what a man can do, but what about the reverse? Identify the advantages, both illustrated in this novel and in general, of having a female law enforcement officer.
6. Much changes once Constance captures von Matthesius. Describe the changes between her and her family. How might things have ended if Constance had not caught von Matthesius? How would his escape influence how you viewed Constance’s actions throughout the novel?
7. “The first line came with such tenderness that it seemed as if it was meant for each one of us,” Constance thinks of the Christmas carol lyrics shared in the novel’s ending. Discuss how they apply to Constance and her fellow lawmen. Why do you think the author chose to end the novel with this poignant moment?