Never Sleep

Good stuff. I wasn't entirely sure I'd like this, but it's well plotted and I enjoyed watching the characters do their thing, along with some nice twists. I look forward to this author's future work.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

Kate Warn is the only female detective in the employ of Allan Pinkerton’s National Police Agency. She’s also one of Pinkerton’s best, which is why she is tasked with rooting out dissidents who are plotting to assassinate President-Elect Abraham Lincoln as he tours the country before his inauguration. But she’s also saddled with a new recruit – the second female detective in the agency, Hattie MacLaughlin. The two ladies find themselves embedded as spies in pro-secession Baltimore on the brink of war, one in high society, the other in the peripheral farming community.

The political climate in this version of Baltimore on the verge of war is terrifyingly similar to today’s highly polarized atmosphere, with wild rhetoric sweeping people up into hysteria, and I have no doubt that this similarity is intentional. Both Kate and Hattie are complex and interesting characters, and excellent foils for each other. The plot was a little slow to get started, but once it did the book was a fast-paced read. Overall it was excellent and I was very excited to see that it’s the first in a series.

CW: slavery and all the horrors that go along with it, including torture, murder, degradation, and biblical justification for white supremacy; sexual harassment and assault; gore