Dear Miss Kopp

3.5 stars. As always, it's well worth the time to catch up with the Kopp sisters, three women whose lives Amy Stewart has portrayed with varying degrees of historical accuracy during the early part of the 20th century (mostly because some aspects of their lives were chronicled in newspapers of the time, while others were unknown). As the Americans finally enter WWI, former "lady sheriff" Constance is ferreting out German spies lurking in America for the nascent Bureau of Investigation, young and pretty Fleurette is entertaining the troops in training as a backup singer to Vaudeville era-star May Ward, and the force of nature Norma is finally getting to put her messenger pigeons to the test close to the battlefields of France.

I love show more epistolary novels, but reading letters from the sisters (and a BFF that Norma picks up in France) while they are in far flung corners of the world made the book feel a bit disjointed. Plus I missed seeing them interact with each other, although watching Norma bulldoze her way through an entire American Army of clueless men will never not be entertaining. There has been a lot of character growth since [b:Girl Waits with Gun|23719378|Girl Waits with Gun (Kopp Sisters, #1)|Amy Stewart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500687846l/23719378._SY75_.jpg|43328906]; Constance is more confident, Fleurette is less self-centered, and Norma - well, Norma is still uniquely herself but possibly a little more willing to let other people into her life (the BFF she adopts in France is a perfect example).

Stewart also unearths disturbing but sadly accurate historical attitudes and practices of the time. A "Protective Committee" arrested and imprisoned young women who were seen as too friendly with the American soldiers out of concern that they might "weaken their morals and inflict upon them crippling social diseases that make it impossible for them to defeat the Kaiser." And the American Protective League, "overzealous office men frustrated that they're too old for the draft," hunted down anyone suspected of failing to register for service. Stewart seems to delight in providing historical evidence that both proves that we've come a long way in the past century and reminds us that fanaticism and intolerance are ageless.

The book ends with the Armistice, but it's obvious that change lies ahead for our Kopp sisters. As Constance writes,

With the war ended, there's a spark here I can hardly describe. It's a sense that nothing can be the same again, and that what's coming next is well, a new era. Something bright and almost unimaginably different from the old days, before the war.

I can't wait to see where Stewart takes the Kopp sisters next, but I hope that she brings them back together at least for some of their adventures. They are much more entertaining when they can interact with each other and demonstrate that despite their differences, they stand united. show less

The Kopp sisters continue to delight! This is a very ambitious sixth volume, being told completely in epistolary format. For the first time ever, the three sisters are split up as each undertakes a different role in the war effort. Constance is an agent for the precursor to the FBI and busy routing out German agents and schemes. Fleurette is traveling with May Ward and entertaining the American troops around the country. And Norma is in France in charge of the Army's pigeon program.

Like the last installment, Stewart imagines what the Kopps were up to as there is very little in the historical record to draw from. But she masterfully creates adventures for the three Kopps, both abroad and at home, which backed up, as always, with lots of show more research of how life really was during the late 1910s.

Greatly enjoyable and compelling. Fans of the series will love this and eagerly wait for more.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley. show less

This is the sixth book in the Kopp Sisters series and is my new favorite. Constance and her sisters were real people and Amy Stewart has done an excellent job of fleshing out their lives and adding new adventures. The first book took place in 1914 when Constance Kopp was hired as the first female deputy sheriff in Bergen County, NJ. It’s now 1918 and the US has entered the war. Written as a series of letters, Stewart fully fleshes out the personalities of each sister as they assist in the war effort. Little is known about the Kopps’ activities during WWI, but here, Fleurette is traveling throughout the US with a vaudeville troupe, Norma is in France working with her pigeons in the Army Signal Corp, and Constance is chasing spies show more with the Bureau of Investigation. Their adventures and activities, although manufactured, are based on actual historical events and, especially in the epistolary format, make for a fun, entertaining read. I’m so glad there will be more to come!

My thanks to the author for the arc! show less

Norma shines in this story, but both Constance and Fleurette have their stories as well. In the past, Constance has been the star, but now World War I has changed that. Norma joins the military and is sent to France when she does not take NO for an answer. She powers her way through and is responsible for capturing a German spy. Norma is an agent for the Bureau of Investigation where she, too, meets with success in foiling German spy plans. Fleurette is traveling with a singing group going from Army camp to Army camp. After being given a parrot, she finds a new life in entertaining and in spying. Very feminist this book, lots of historical details make the author’s endnotes an important part of the book. I am looking forward to the show more next book, as each sister makes her way independently. Although the book can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading at least the first book in the series to introduce yourself to the Kopp family. show less

This series continues to be utterly delightful. This installment tells the story of what the three Kopp sisters did during World War One: Constance worked for the organization that would become the CIA looking for German spies, Norma used her messenger pigeons on the front, and Fleurette traveled the country entertaining the troops. The novel is told entirely through letters sent to and from the three sisters. As always, the three sisters are totally lovable and their stories are thrilling.

Amy Stewart is back with a SIXTH installment of the Miss Kopp series! Girl Waits With Gun was published in 2015 and Stewart has given us a sequel every year since.

If you have not read any of the series you won't know that the main characters are based on real people.

Constance Kopp was one of the first lady cops. She had a sister Norma, and 'sister' Fleurette who is really Constance's child, the result of being seduced by a door-to-door Singer salesman when she was a teenager. Stewart has delved into the newspaper files to resurrect the Kopp girls, fictionalizing freely to fill in the blanks left in their histories.

The series begins in 1914, and this installment brings us to WWI.

Constance has been recruited by Washington, DC to spy on show more American Germans aiding the enemy. Fleurette is entertaining the stateside troops with a song and dance troupe. And Norma has enlisted to help the Army develop a pigeon messenger program in France where she rooms with a nurse.

Between the three Kopps, readers see the war from many fronts.

The novel is totally epistolary, comprised of the letters between the sisters, their bosses, and family and friends.

As in all the book in the series, a major focus in on the role of women in society, their contributions and the limitations society places on them. Norma fights for her work to be taken seriously and solves the problem of missing medical supplies. Fleurette is arrest under The American Plan which locked up women suspected of sexual promiscuity and corrupting the troops. Constance goes undercover as a spy.

The crimes that the Kopps solve are based on actual crimes. One act of sabotage mentioned took place at the Curtiss North Elmwood plant in Buffalo, NY. It was the world's largest airplane factory when it was built, located just down the road from where I grew up. (My grandfather was an engineer at a later Curtiss plant operating during WWII.)

Fans will enjoy the book. Newbies may want to start with the first in the series. This story told all in letters does not have the same drive as the earlier novels, but once you fall for the Kopps there is no turning back. We will read to the very end of the series!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. show less

historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-fiction, historical-setting, WW1*****

The stories about the Kopp sisters (who are real) began early in the 20th century and progressed from there. Constance really was a deputy. The research is all on target and the references check out (bad library pun). The fiction is somewhat manufactured, but it is a case of an aggregation of real people to make history easier for us readers.
So. This book is presented in the form of letters from each of the sisters, back and forth, during the last year of The War To End All Wars. Constance is presented as an operative from the department which would later become the FBI, Norma is with the Signal Corps in rural France, and Fleurette is a show more performer with a travelling group that is much like the later USO. The prejudice and tribulations of women in that era are put forth very clearly in the course of things. I wasn't hopeful that I would like this format as much, but I was wrong. It's the perfect way to tie things together! Loved it!
I have all the others on audio, so it's a given that I am a fan (as well as a history geek).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Can't wait to see how the audio turns out! show less