Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.
I love Jane Smiley and I really enjoyed this mystery. It kept me interested and was a thriller without being overly intense.
Well written and held my interest.
I was excited to be able to read this one before the publishing date since I’ve always liked her work. This did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Dangerous Business.

Being a woman is dangerous business, especially in 1851.

It's the nineteenth century and Eliza Ripple is a widow. Good riddance to an indifferent husband, she still needs to make a living and has chosen the life of a sex worker.

She's independent and financially secure, but when dead bodies of sex workers begin appearing, Eliza and her BFF, Jean, is determined to catch the killer. But at what cost?

First, I've never read the author's books before so this was a first for me. I liked the premise and looked forward to reading it.

Sadly, the writing style didn't engage me; it was dry and indifferent. There was a lot of summarizing of events including Eliza would do during her day, and the types of clients she services.

Also, the mystery is really a side note, since most of the narrative is filled with descriptions of Eliza's clients, meeting Jean, and having breakfast at the local bar.

There's also plenty of riding and walking around, not surprisingly since there's not much else to do in the 1850s.

Eliza spends most of her time scrutinizing her clients and wondering, "is this dude the killer? or is it that dude?"

There's very little drama and suspense, so the pacing is slow...very very slow.

When the murderer is revealed, I felt "OK? That's it?"

What I did like: the references to the pressing issues of the time period; women's suffrage and slavery.

The description of the location and setting were well written, but that soon grew tedious.

I also felt Eliza's solicitous and kind madam, and how clean and orderly the brothel was run was hard to suspend disbelief for.

Some fans of the author might enjoy this, but not readers looking for a traditional mystery.

It's 1851 in Monterey California and young women have very little choices for earning a living. Eliza Ripple has been abused by her husband for many years and thus makes the difficult decision to leave him. After many attempts to support herself, she joins a brothel. Her employer screens her customers and she is safe working in this environment. Then the murders start. She and her friend Jean decide to solve the murders themselves because the local law enforcers couldn't care less about these murders. Interesting story set in an interesting time in our country's history.

The story begins in 1851. At the age of 18, Eliza’s family marries her off to an “acceptable” man in order to prevent her from marrying a man she truly cares for. This “acceptable” man moves her across the country to reside in Monterey, California, where he intends to strike gold. Peter is far older than she, he is neglectful, abusive to her sexually and with his fists, and just downright bad news. It is no great surprise, and Eliza has no remorse, when her husband is murdered in a pub. A widowed woman, alone in a location far away from her family doesn’t have many options for supporting herself. She does not want to go back to the family who pushed her into this terrible situation, so Eliza finds work in one of the better brothels. She discovers it isn’t all that bad, likely since she had become used to daily sexual abuse from her husband. Most of her customers are far more gentlemanly than her husband ever was. She is satisfied with her work, and she is self-supporting.

In time, Eliza befriends Jean, a prostitute from another brothel. Jean's brothel services women instead of men. Jean and Eliza take meals together and become about as close as two friends can be. Suddenly, a string of murders begins to take place in this coastal town. The victims are all prostitutes, which strikes fear into Eliza and Jean, especially since nobody seems interested in solving the murders. They become suspicious of all their customers. The two begin sleuthing about for the killer. They both mature towards the next phase in their lives as they attempt to solve this mystery.

“Being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise”. The novel is set in Monterey Ca. In 1851, and the main characters are 2 prostitutes on a mission to solve the murders of other women in the same profession. I have mixed feelings about this read -it is more novel than mystery, and for my tastes was too slow paced and confusing geographically. It is an interesting look at the state of the country pre-civil war and the slave/ free state debate.

I'm a fan of Jane Smiley but this novel was not her best. Although the descriptions of northern CA were wonderfully crystal clear, the story failed to capture me, but it may compel other readers who appreciate mysteries.

In lawless Monterey CA of the 1850's, life was not easy for young widow Eliza, but she has made the best of her situation by working in a brothel run by a benevolent proprietor. Eliza hears about young prostitutes going missing, but no one else, including the sheriff, seems to care enough to find out their fate. With her new friend Jean, Eliza determines to follow the example of Dupin, Poe's detective, to solve the disappearances and murders, but in the process she becomes suspicious of many of her clients. This historical mystery struck me as somewhat slow-starting, but the setting and development of the character of Eliza propelled the plot forward.

I had no expectations going into this book and was pleasantly surprised the whole way through. It was intense without being intense, it was graphic without being graphic and it was a mystery without being a mystery. A definite interesting read good for something different.

Ahhh! How I have misses the wonderful prose of Jane Smiley. And this nook doesn't disappoint.. When Eliza is forced into a life that she desperately doesn't want to be a part of the story comes alive. A look at womanhood, innocence, redemption and life. This would make a wonderful book club read!

So much to discuss with this one - go read this one so we can talk! A Dangerous Business is a title that lends itself to many interpretations within this book. Jane Smiley is brilliant as she crafted this novel to pose that question - what’s a dangerous business for a woman? Loved the Poe references made throughout as well as the themes of gender v sex and power. So much to think about and discuss which I’m sure I’ll be doing for some time. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for the advanced copy!

Eliza Ripple is a naive eighteen-year-old girl whose parents force her to wed a young man visiting her hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He projects wealth and ambition, so they feel their daughter will be well-cared for. The couple moves to Monterey, California, as the 1848 Gold Rush is winding down. Eliza’s husband demeans her and essentially expects her to be his slave. Thus, when her hot-tempered husband is killed in a bar fight, Eliza spends no time mourning him. She refuses to return to the harsh winters of Michigan and her Bible-thumping family. With few viable options, she joins Mrs. Park’s brothel and has an easier life than she did with her husband—with the additional benefit of becoming financially independent.

Eliza builds relationships with other women, and they keep each other safe. At Mrs. Park’s, Eliza sees one or two clients a day and a bouncer provides physical protection. In addition, Mrs. Park “bans” undesirable men. Her best friend Jean is a lesbian who enjoys dressing in men’s clothing, and thus provides a “male escort” when Eliza needs on.

Eliza is unsophisticated and poorly educated, but that doesn’t hinder her. She reads avidly and when her sailor clients teach her about the equator, longitude, and latitude, and the many places they’ve traveled, she absorbs the knowledge like a sponge.

Things take a turn for the worse when Eliza discovers the body of a murdered young woman in a creek just outside of town. As women continue to disappear and local law enforcement refuses to seriously investigate, Eliza and Jean team up to investigate. They readily admit they have no idea what they are doing, but they do have a text book of sorts: Edgar Allen Poe’s tales featuring the detective C. Auguste Dupin. The women learn to think logically and look for clues. Eliza learns to observe people, especially men, knowing that at times her ability to predict their actions might save her life.

Jane Smiley's writing is smooth and flowing. She evokes beautifully the time of the Gold Rush and the character of Monterey. Her characters are interesting and likable. I particularly enjoyed her depiction of prostitution as just another job to go to then come home and get some rest.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story about a young woman alone in desperate times.

While I have enjoyed some of Jane Smiley's novels (notably Moo!), this one is not for me. There is nothing wrong with it, but there is nothing to recommend it either. The writing is serviceable. The is a plot though nothing particularly notable (murdered prostitutes), the characters realistic but basic. Fans of historical fiction may find this title more appealing than I did.

Jane Smiley is a master of character development and prose. Her most recent novel, A Dangerous Business, is no exception. Set in Monterey, CA during the gold rush we meet Eliza Ripple who is working as a prostitute. Her husband, who brought her to California, was shot and killed in a bar fight, so Eliza was left on her own to figure out how to survive. It turns out the Eliza is much happier on her own, and feels safer as a prostitute than she did with her husband. She enjoys the freedom of being a woman on her own, and also seems to enjoy her work. She works for a woman who ensures that the men who come to her establishment are of a certain standard and her girls are safe. When some of the women start to show up murdered however, Eliza begins to worry.
She eventually befriends a woman, Jean and together they decide to try to solve the murders. They are both avid readers, and try to emulate Poe's Dupin as they observe the crime scenes, and analyze the evidence that is in front of them.
The story moves along well and is engaging, but I found the reveal of the murder mystery to be a little rushed and not very suspenseful. Smiley does definitely hit her point home that being a woman is a dangerous business. She shows us that no matter when, women have had to be careful, cunning and intelligent to get by, Both Eliza and Jean are strong female heroines, who certainly do not need men to help them solve the mystery. In fact, they solve it in spite of men who are more than happy to just sweep the whole thing under the rug.
Smiley has given us a story about survival, friendship and self discovery. It is a very pleasant read.

An incredibly thought provoking new novel from her here. Her characters are so well drawn out, that I truly felt like I was living the narrative alongside them. The writing is beautiful, and evocative and makes the pages fly, Can't wait to sell this!

Solid historical fiction. With a good story and interesting characters, I enjoyed this story of Eliza and Jean just before the Civil War.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!!

Jane Smiley clearly had a blast spinning A DANGEROUS BUSINESS--and so will the reader. A touch of suspense, a dollop of history and a rollicking sense of humor light up every page. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Knopf Doubleday and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read.

Being a prostitute is a danger business; being a woman is a dangerous business.

Set in 1850s Monterrey, California, author Jane Smiley has created a world of contrasts. Widowed Eliza Cargill begins a life as prostitute Eliza Ripple. Prospective clients are "checked out" for means and health and a kind of
"bodyguard" protects the working girls from physical harm. Against this backdrop are numerous scenes with forestry, horses and the sea as Eliza spends off-hours exploring the outdoors. She and newfound friend Jean will discover the body of another prostitute on one of these outdoor ventures. They will look for guidance to Edgar Allen Poe's Detective Dupin to visit murder scenes and put facts together to find a serial killer.

Eliza will eventually face the knowledge that the mistress of the bordello seeks "new blood" and the current working women must move on. Will Eliza find her place in a new kind of existence?

A young widow who has found a comfortable way of making a living in a well-run and not-too-demanding brothel in mid-19th century California, works with her friend to find out who has been killing women and getting away with murder because really, who cares? Inspired by Poe's Dupin, they rely on logic and observation to crack the case.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. There are some aspects of it as historical fiction that I enjoyed - the setting is quite interesting, and the protagonist is often interesting company in her observations. The pace, considering the subject matter, is leisurely and ... oh, look, a butterfly.

Sometimes crime fiction has serious literary chops, and sometimes a historical mystery pays more attention to history than mystery, and that can be fine. (Consider Naomi Hirohara's CLARK AND DIVISION, a decent mystery that gracefully took a backseat to the work of vividly recreating a time and place.) But somehow the parts of this novel didn't sit easily together for me, and the history itself seemed sometimes to be experienced by a twenty-first century time traveler. At any rate, I enjoyed it, somewhat, but felt overall dissatisfied, perhaps because I expected something more substantial from the author, even if it the mystery element were not front and center.

In Monterey, California, in the early 1850's, a young woman doesn't have many options for survival. So when Eliza Ripple's abusive husband is shot in a bar brawl only a few months after they arrive (and long before he can make a fortune in the gold rush as he'd planned), she turns to prostitution. The life she creates for herself is far more comfortable and lucrative than her former married life... until women start going missing, and bodies start turning up in the wilds surrounding the little city. Together with her friend and fellow working girl Jane, Eliza decides she must find out who's responsible for these deaths.

Full of evocative descriptions of Eliza's daily life in and out of the brothel, her long walks through the city with Jane, and their detective work inspired by a shared love of Edgar Allan Poe stories, this book was a pleasure to read. The resolution of the mystery and the subsequent end of the story both felt a little anticlimactic, but preferable to a more sensational (and perhaps gratuitously violent) end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!