Brad Ricca
Author of Mrs. Sherlock Holmes
About the Author
Works by Brad Ricca
Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman's Journey into the Heart of Africa (2020) 118 copies, 12 reviews
True Raiders: The Untold Story of the 1909 Expedition to Find the Legendary Ark of the Covenant (2021) 114 copies, 12 reviews
Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster---the Creators of Superman (2013) 106 copies, 5 reviews
Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency (2025) 27 copies, 5 reviews
Mrs. Sherlock Homes 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1954
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Case Western Reserve University
Ohio University - Occupations
- writer
filmmaker
university professor - Organizations
- Case Western Reserve University
- Awards and honors
- Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist in Literature (2014)
St. Lawrence Book Award
Las Vegas International Film Festival, Silver Ace Award - Agent
- Scott Mendel
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Places of residence
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Members
Reviews
I haven't read the original book by Nellie Bly about her undercover investigation in a New York City asylum in 1887, but this graphic adaptation tempts me to do so. Solid script and art drew me along as the injustices and abuses were witnessed and exposed by the feisty reporter.
It's depressing that even over a century later we can still regularly find examples of our institutions neglecting or abusing the weak and marginalized -- be it the elderly in nursing homes or immigrants in ICE show more detention centers. And it's scary to think that the news media we rely on to do the kinds of investigations and exposés that Bly did is withering away before our eyes. show less
It's depressing that even over a century later we can still regularly find examples of our institutions neglecting or abusing the weak and marginalized -- be it the elderly in nursing homes or immigrants in ICE show more detention centers. And it's scary to think that the news media we rely on to do the kinds of investigations and exposés that Bly did is withering away before our eyes. show less
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca
Well. What a mess this book is. The subject matter sounds fascinating...subtitled "The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective", it covers the remarkable career of Grace Quackenbos Humiston, a lawyer, US District Attorney, and private detective who for a period of time carried an NYPD badge, all in the first few decades of the 20th century. Mrs. Humiston was passionate about bringing an end to the practice of "white slavery", which claimed young girls in vast numbers and was show more believed to be supported by an international criminal organization; she also devoted much of her private practice to helping immigrants deal with the US legal system. She may, or may not, have been instrumental in solving the disappearance and murder of one particular young girl, Ruth Cruger. Any competent author should have been able to deliver a heckin' great book out of such material. But it is not this book. It meanders, it's repetitive, it has no coherent structure or narrative flow, contains way too much minute yet unenlightening detail and too many verbatim transcripts of interviews and testimony that fail to reveal anything useful. A competent editor would have slashed it by half. And I should have quit half way through. There was one fairly incredible 21st century-style quote worth sharing, however: "For a long time we have had runaway immigrants pouring in on us and have tried the man's scheme of building a high restrictive fence about our country...it is time to take the bandage off the eyes of international Justice, lay down her sword, get her mind off the thief and the jail, and become a kindly, intelligent mother to the world". I get the feeling Mrs. Humiston deserved a better champion. This treatment was just too much of a slog.
Review written January 2021 show less
Review written January 2021 show less
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca
Looking up a different book on Amazon my clicks led me to view the title “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” with the information in small caps designating this book as “The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective…”
When the St. Martin's Paperbacks Edition arrived I briefly wondered if this might become a dry biographical account and if I would finish the book. I decided to set that thought aside and begin reading. I could hardly put the book down. Brad Ricca is to be applauded for the phenomenal research that is clearly evident to the reader even prior to reading the Author's Note, Notes, Bibliography, Resources, Acknowledgments and viewing the Index at the back of the book. Grace Humiston, deemed “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” was a lawyer, detective, first female U.S. District Attorney, and should be heralded far and wide for all of her firsts and laudable achievements. Grace's motto – “Justice for those of limited means for moderate fees.” What an incredible human being. What an extraordinary woman. What an inspiring life. Grace Humiston, an American Hero.
After reading a book of this caliber the rating of 5 stars seems too ordinary. I highly recommend this engrossing reading experience that has the reader luxuriating in the awesome work of author Brad Ricca in bringing the life and achievements of Grace Humiston to our attention. show less
I'll pause in my review to explain why I had to learn more about this book. I am of a generation that learned of few women's contributions in school. I learned of Florence Nightingale and Marie Curie as my Mother was a nurse. In 4th grade, I remember learning aboutshow more
Clara Barton and Helen Keller, primarily due to my library browsing discovery of a biography series, Childhood of Famous Americans. My love of reading mysteries began with the Nancy Drew series and by high school discovered the mysteries by Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney.My first view of the title “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” envisioned a fictional character that was taking advantage of the awareness of Sherlock Holmes as originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and in the limelight after the portrayal by Benedict Cumberbatch in the television series (2010-2017) which continues to find new viewers on Netflix. To realize that “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” was a real person and not a fictional character was fascinating in itself. I couldn't wait to discover the “The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case that Captivated a Nation.”
My knowledge of American history is also limited by a public school experience of studying American history in the 9th grade when we started the school year with the voyage of Columbus discovering America and ending the school year at the Civil War. In 10th grade, we studied World Cultures. In 11th grade, we again studied American History. However, we started the school year with the voyage of Columbus discovering America and ending the school year at the Civil War. In 12th grade, we studied the 3 branches of government. I decided to take a course in American History as one of my electives during my undergrad studies and I could hardly believe when the professor announced the cycle of study would repeat my 9th and 11th grade experiences from that January to May. My knowledge of American History is void between the Civil War and the day Kennedy was shot in Dallas as we learned leaving a field trip of historical Philadelphia in 5th grade. Thankfully my husband has been very supportive in helping me find excellent documentaries and books to help me absorb the learning I missed between the Civil War and November 1963.
When the St. Martin's Paperbacks Edition arrived I briefly wondered if this might become a dry biographical account and if I would finish the book. I decided to set that thought aside and begin reading. I could hardly put the book down. Brad Ricca is to be applauded for the phenomenal research that is clearly evident to the reader even prior to reading the Author's Note, Notes, Bibliography, Resources, Acknowledgments and viewing the Index at the back of the book. Grace Humiston, deemed “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” was a lawyer, detective, first female U.S. District Attorney, and should be heralded far and wide for all of her firsts and laudable achievements. Grace's motto – “Justice for those of limited means for moderate fees.” What an incredible human being. What an extraordinary woman. What an inspiring life. Grace Humiston, an American Hero.
After reading a book of this caliber the rating of 5 stars seems too ordinary. I highly recommend this engrossing reading experience that has the reader luxuriating in the awesome work of author Brad Ricca in bringing the life and achievements of Grace Humiston to our attention. show less
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca
Mrs Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricci
This narrative biography of Grace Humiston (earlier known as Quackenbos, her 1st husband’s surname), is about a female lawyer and a sometimes consulting detective. It's a fascinating read about someone who was once notable in the early 20th century for her extensive investigative work on more than one famous case. She fought for justice for those of limited means. Grace worked tirelessly to help get pardons for the innocent--Charles Stielow (a death row show more inmate) and his brother-in-law, Nelson Green, on a murder case that was grossly mishandled by police. And before that, she helped a woman, Antoinette Tolla, who’d shot a man in self-defense when he’d attempted an attack on her. There are other cases included of Grace Humiston's work and one particular highlighted case that takes up a good portion of the book -- and it's what holds, in my opinion, the book's intriguing hook. It was the case on the disappearace of the eighteen-year-old, Ruth Cruger, in 1917. Female lawyer, Grace Humiston was first approached by the missing girl's father, Henry, because of Grace's investigative reputation. Grace agreed to take the case and continued working it with the police, eventually becoming the police's lead detective. The Ruth Cruger case is given in great detail and accents the DA and police's investigation into the girl's disappearance. These sequences, presented in quite a few chapters thoughout the book, reveal well-spaced clues on how the crime is brought to a conclusion. As Grace, aided by her sometimes business partner, private detective, Julius Kron, follows up on the case's facts, it creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a mystery novel.
The title, MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES, author, Brad Ricca, informs his readers that the earliest usage he could find of this nickname was from an article, 'She's Sherlock of Cruger Case" (Muskogee Times-Democrat, June 20, 1917). This is a finely researched book, with extensive index and referenced end notes. And it doesn't shy away from presenting the mistakes its subject, Grace Humiston, made after she became a strong advocate for better treatment of missing persons, and particularly missing young women, by male police detectives, who too often dismissed missing girls as just gone "wayward" and not as crime victims. Grace spoke openly on what she believed was a white-slave trade and, mistakenly, once allowed herself to get ahead of the facts, citing reports of buried female victims with no evidence ever found on those claims. And so, Grace Humiston, fell from grace. It is admirable when a book's author/biographer includes both success and failures in the life of his written-about subjects. For more reasons than one, I think, this is an intriguing book that's well worth taking the time to read. show less
This narrative biography of Grace Humiston (earlier known as Quackenbos, her 1st husband’s surname), is about a female lawyer and a sometimes consulting detective. It's a fascinating read about someone who was once notable in the early 20th century for her extensive investigative work on more than one famous case. She fought for justice for those of limited means. Grace worked tirelessly to help get pardons for the innocent--Charles Stielow (a death row show more inmate) and his brother-in-law, Nelson Green, on a murder case that was grossly mishandled by police. And before that, she helped a woman, Antoinette Tolla, who’d shot a man in self-defense when he’d attempted an attack on her. There are other cases included of Grace Humiston's work and one particular highlighted case that takes up a good portion of the book -- and it's what holds, in my opinion, the book's intriguing hook. It was the case on the disappearace of the eighteen-year-old, Ruth Cruger, in 1917. Female lawyer, Grace Humiston was first approached by the missing girl's father, Henry, because of Grace's investigative reputation. Grace agreed to take the case and continued working it with the police, eventually becoming the police's lead detective. The Ruth Cruger case is given in great detail and accents the DA and police's investigation into the girl's disappearance. These sequences, presented in quite a few chapters thoughout the book, reveal well-spaced clues on how the crime is brought to a conclusion. As Grace, aided by her sometimes business partner, private detective, Julius Kron, follows up on the case's facts, it creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a mystery novel.
The title, MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES, author, Brad Ricca, informs his readers that the earliest usage he could find of this nickname was from an article, 'She's Sherlock of Cruger Case" (Muskogee Times-Democrat, June 20, 1917). This is a finely researched book, with extensive index and referenced end notes. And it doesn't shy away from presenting the mistakes its subject, Grace Humiston, made after she became a strong advocate for better treatment of missing persons, and particularly missing young women, by male police detectives, who too often dismissed missing girls as just gone "wayward" and not as crime victims. Grace spoke openly on what she believed was a white-slave trade and, mistakenly, once allowed herself to get ahead of the facts, citing reports of buried female victims with no evidence ever found on those claims. And so, Grace Humiston, fell from grace. It is admirable when a book's author/biographer includes both success and failures in the life of his written-about subjects. For more reasons than one, I think, this is an intriguing book that's well worth taking the time to read. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 9
- Members
- 1,144
- Popularity
- #22,444
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 67
- ISBNs
- 37
- Languages
- 2