Jane Smiley provides a glimpse at Monterey, California in the early 1850s through the friendship between two prostitutes. Eliza is a young widow from Michigan who traveled to CA with her brute of a husband who killed soon after their arrival. Eliza earns her keep entertaining men at a local brothel. Jane, who sometimes dresses as a man, provides comfort to women at nearby business. When other local prostitutes are found murdered, Eliza and Jane investigate their murders based on the skills they have learned from reading Edgar Allan Poe. The novel is full of rich descriptions of the coastlines of Monterey and the horses who help riders along the trails. As always, Jane Smiley offers readers rich, well-researched fiction. A good selection for new adult readers and fans of smart historical fiction

This was an incredibly quick read! A Dangerous Business is a mystery set in 1850s Gold Rush California as two young prostitutes try to figure out who was behind the disappearance of some girls. Smiley did not shy away from graphic language here so I was glad my kids were not in the car with me when I listened to this. While I enjoyed the characters, and the mystery, everything felt a bit easy. Thank you Knopf for the ARC of this one!

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley is a highly recommended historical mystery set in 1850s California.

"As Mrs. Parks says, 'Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise...' "

After Eliza Cargill Ripple’s husband is killed in a bar brawl in Monterey, California, she chooses to work in the well-run brothel of madam Mrs. Parks. Eliza is only 21, but she knows she does not want to go back to her parent's house in Kalamazoo. Work in a brothel provides financial security and allows her to stay in Monterey. Eliza also makes her first real friend, Jean MacPherson, who works in the same profession, but with women. After some working girls are missing and bodies are found outside of town, the two begin to work together investigating who could be targeting and murdering young women as law enforcement isn't interested..

Smiley, as expected, excels at providing descriptions of the setting during the specific time period and furnishing the historical details that bring the narrative to life in this incredibly well-written novel. Eliza's trade is described in a quaint manner, although perhaps too much for the page count, and interesting details about the time period are provided by her clients, many of them sailors. I also appreciate the literary references about novels during the time period included in the plot.

Eliza and Jean are portrayed as realistic and sympathetic characters within the historical time period. Smiley brings them both to life in the narrative as they work together trying to piece together clues and figure out which client could be guilty of the murders. Of course, there are also horses which are all described as unique.

My reticence concerning A Dangerous Business is three fold. The whole plot element involving seeing ghosts and ghosts being sighted almost constantly is suddenly dropped and nothing is done with it. The second is that, no matter how well-written, the pace of the novel is very slow. Finally, the actually denouement was a bit of a let down, as I was anticipating more, which is perhaps my failing, but there it is.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I didn't know what to expect, but loved the mystery and the main character. It kept me on the edge of my seat!

DNF -- This story didn't grab me the way other updated westerns have. It didn't seem new, fresh or compelling.

"From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author of A Thousand Acres: a rollicking murder mystery set in Gold Rush California, as two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls.

Monterey, 1851. Ever since her husband was killed in a bar fight, Eliza Ripple has been working in a brothel. It seems like a better life, at least at first. The madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, the men are (relatively) well behaved, and Eliza has attained what few women have: financial security. But when the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, a darkness descends that she can't resist confronting. Side by side with her friend Jean, and inspired by her reading, especially by Edgar Allan Poe's detective Dupin, Eliza pieces together an array of clues to try to catch the killer, all the while juggling clients who begin to seem more and more suspicious.

Eliza and Jean are determined not just to survive, but to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West - a bewitching combination of beauty and danger - as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. As Mrs. Parks says, "Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise...""

This sounds just like my favorite arc on season two of Deadwood. Who doesn't want to watch prostitutes inspired by Edgar Allan Poe to solve crime?

3.5 stars rounded up.

This historical novel, set in Gold Rush California, takes an interestingly feminist viewpoint but, for me, didn’t quite work as well as I wanted it to.

Eliza Cargill had moved to Monterey from Kalamazoo with her new, and abusive, husband. Fortunately he’s soon killed in a bar brawl and she reinvents herself as Eliza Ripple and goes to work for the kindly but slightly enigmatic Mrs Parks, at a local brothel. When local prostitutes start disappearing and turning up dead, Eliza and her new friend Jean (who works at a brothel for women) are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s detective Dupin to investigate.

The mystery is only a small part of the novel. Much of it is concerned with Eliza’s day to day life. She lives in a boarding house, eats at local restaurants, and enjoys her independence. Her work is well-paid, and after her wretched marriage, she finds her clients to be mostly kind and pleasant. She is thoroughly, and often entertainingly, matter of fact about their interactions.

The author does a fine job of creating a believable 1850’s Monterey. She evokes the lawlessness of the time along with its flipside of freedom as Eliza roams around the streets and rides out into the mountains with Jean, a lesbian who delights as playacting as different classes of men and women. (I followed along on Google maps - a map from the time would have been a nice inclusion). One of the topics of conversation is always where people have come from, but their motives for coming to California are not quite so freely discussed which makes everyone a suspect.

While the writing is elegant and precise and the female characters are vivid, the mystery itself is a bit lame. There is little law enforcement so the women are forced to make up their own investigative techniques which seems to consist of Eliza suspecting all her clients and Jean following them around. The denouement was pretty abrupt and the resolution was not particularly satisfying. I understand that this gives a structure to the novel, but I enjoyed the quotidian sections much more.

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

When Eliza’s abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, she must think of a way to make a living in 1850s Monterey. She had come by wagon train from the Midwest where her family were Covenanters and her background was not worldly. But having endured the sexual demands of her husband, Eliza thinks being a prostitute in a local brothel may be the way for her to get a life. Eliza befriends another prostitute, Jean, servicing women. They discover they have common interests in the writings of Poe. This will help them in their quest to unravel a series of disappearing young women (prostitutes) that no law enforcement cares about.

The mystery of this book was somewhat thin. The two young gals reminded me of Nancy Drew crime solving if Nancy had been in a similar situation! (Not likely.) The book could have come with a map of Monterrey as the Jean and Eliza traipse around tracking down many likely leads and venues. Brothel scenes served to show Eliza’s efficiency, and the possibility of discovering the killer. Passion was not really part of her expertise, it was a business, a dangerous business involving prostitution and sleuthing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

Eliza Ripple was forced into marriage by her parents. After her marriage she discovered that her husband had lied about being successful and he was instead going to take them to Monterey, California, to search for gold. Her husband treated Eliza like his slave so when he was killed in a bar fight after only a few months of marriage she was glad to be rid of him. But she then had the problem of what to do to earn a living. In 1851 Monterey there weren’t many options for women so when Mrs. Parks offered her a job in her brothel, Eliza took it. Mrs. Parks was kind to her girls and tried to keep them safe and Eliza was happy to be earning her own money.

Soon she became friends with Jane who was also a prostitute in a brothel but where she worked catered to women. The two women loved reading the stories written by Edgar Allen Poe and they especially liked his detective, Dupin. When young women, mostly prostitutes, began disappearing and were then found dead, the police didn’t seem overly concerned so Eliza and Jane decide to investigate the murders like Dupin in the Poe stories. However, being a woman and a prostitute is “a dangerous business” especially when you are looking for a murderer.

A Dangerous Business was an interesting book. The Gold Rush theme and setting in 1851 intrigued me but I really didn’t connect with the characters because they seemed bland to me. Eliza had to earn a living and she had limited options but she didn’t seem conflicted about becoming a proustite. I also thought that the mystery needed more suspense. The story moved rather slowly but I did like parts of it but because of the brothel scenes (not graphic) this book probably isn’t for everyone.

A Dangerous Business will be published on December 6, 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating and engrossing novel of murder, independence and friendship. This relatively short book packs a lot in terms of a well developed plot, interesting and relatable characters, and a little known setting. I love the author’s casual and descriptive writing which had the story flowing and always made me want to know what’s next.

After Eliza’s husband dies soon after they move to California in the 1850s, she finds herself turning to sec work to help pay the bills. Soon, young women keep ending up murdered. She and her friend Jean decide to investigate using wisdom they picked up from their favorite author, Poe.

I was expecting this book to be more of a mystery, but it felt more like a slice of life book with a mystery subplot. Like most of Eliza’s investigating is during her jobs or because she is suspicious of a client. There are also subplots that feel somewhat thrown in without a bunch of relevance - like the looming civil war. If you’re looking for a good mystery, this probably isn’t for you. If you’re looking for historical fiction slice of life, then you will enjoy this more!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two women who work in brothels wish to solve a mystery…what a great premise! However, this was a slow and tedious story for me. I did, however, enjoy getting to know Eliza and Jean.

Eliza has been working in Mrs. Parks' brothel in Monterey since her hateful husband was killed in a bar shortly after they arrived in California. Gentle readers should know that she is very matter of fact about her customers (this never gets graphic but still...) She's lonely until she meets Jean, a woman who works in a brothel for women. Young women have gone missing and then the two of them find a body, setting Eliza and Jean on a quest to uncover the villain. They use Edgar Allan Poe as a model for investigation (unusual choice to be sure) and then they find another body. I liked this for the two women, both unique and determined with interesting back stories that come out slowly. The atmospherics of Monterey during the period are terrific (especially the rain and mud but also its beauty). Smiley manages to capture the men in a paragraph or two, making each of them (and there are quite a few) memorable. Will Eliza and Jean manage to find the bad guy without losing their own lives? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a different sort of historical mystery that will please Smiley fans as well.

Jane Smiley has written a very interesting story about the “oldest profession” with a good mystery. This book won’t be for everyone because of certain descriptions, but Jan Smiley fans won’t be disappointed.

I loved the. prostitution aspect of the book and reading about the brothel. I would love more books with this environment. Parts of the book were slow and it was hard for me to get invested in the mystery

I was hooked from the beginning sentence of this novel: Two months after her husband died on November 12, 1851, Eliza Ripple stopped writing letters to her mother back in Kalamazoo. At 22, in goldrush-obsessed Monterey, California Eliza finds herself gainfully employed, and in the company of friendlier people than her late husband Peter, but at a brothel. She and her friend Jean transition from thrilled readers of Edgar Allan Poe's stories to actual investigators of a real life series of local murders. Jane Smiley is an amazing character constructor whether contemporary or historical; and Eliza and her friend are both intricately complex, curious, and resolutely courageous regardless of whatever constraints the mores and culture of the time may have dictated.

This is as much about the qualities of true friendship as it is a satisfying murder mystery. I love that Smiley avoided the all-too familiar trollop tropes and instead presents two intelligent, realistic female protagonists who do the right thing brilliantly, with limited opportunities at hand.

4 stars

Take a trip to the mid-1800s and up the California coast to meet Eliza, the m.c., and her curious group of acquaintances in this mysterious piece of historical fiction.

Like many women (period, but also) at this time, Eliza finds herself very young and very cramped by her jerk husband's style. So, when she is widowed at the start of the novel, she gets to explore who she really is and dig deep into various areas of her life that others might find unsavory and/or shocking. Eliza finds some of her freedom through her new role as a sex worker, and this is an absolute highlight of the novel. Not only is it fascinating to read from the perspective of a sex worker (particularly at this time period), but it's pretty exciting to see a potentially unexpected spin. Eliza isn't lamenting her state; she's actually enjoying quite a lot about it. She becomes a social scientist in more ways than one, not only enjoying learning a great deal about the similarities between and differences among her clients but also exploring her town - Monterey - with great vigor. Her best find is her pal, Jean. These two need a whole series of their own. I will read every page immediately. One reason that the two bond so quickly is that there appears to be a killer on the loose locally. To the surprise of no one, because the victims are women and frequently sex workers, authorities are doing nothing, and these two characters - who fit both identities - take it upon themselves to investigate in the most curious ways.

Though at times, I wanted the pacing to pick up just a touch, this remained an engaging read for me. The representation, the landscape, and just the day-to-day lives of Eliza and Jean (and especially all aspects of their friendship) make for an entertaining experience. I can't wait to read more from Smiley.

I though I would enjoy a mystery book about a brothel in the old West. However, the writing style was slow and simple, and there was not as much action as I would have liked.

Mrs. Parks, the owner of the brothel, says, "Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise ..."

Eliza moves with her new husband to Monterey, California, in 1851. Shortly thereafter, her husband dies in a bar brawl, and Eliza must figure out how to earn a living. She takes a job in one of the better brothels in town, taking care of two or three clients each evening. She is able to save her money and support herself. Her new friend, Jean, encourages her to read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Eliza starts to observe and analyze things around her. She discovers that prostitutes are being murdered. No one is being charged with the murders and the law seems to be remarkable lax in searching out answers.

The story comes to an interesting conclusion, some of which the reader might have been expecting and some conclusions not seen at all.

3.5/5 stars

Maybe historical fiction isn’t for me. It’s often hard for me to get into it. When it works, it’s super impactful, when it doesn’t, I struggle. I loved the e premise of this one but I wasn’t drawn in like I wanted to be. I really love Poe though and though the inclusion of that was fun!