Strong Suspicions
A Sophie Strong Mystery #1
Amy Renshaw
Lilac Bower Media, September 2021
ISBN 978-1-7373533-1-7
Trade Paperback
It’s 1912 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Herald daily newspaper has a single female reporter. Twenty-two year old Sophie Strong reports on garden parties, women’s groups and longs for a serious assignment.
Because she’s bright, capable and ambitious, readers of this debut mystery will assume, and rightly so, that Miss Strong will get herself in trouble pursuing suspicious events in town.
The novel carefully and accurately carries readers into Milwaukee of that time although this reader would have welcomed a few more descriptive passages. Nevertheless the book is tightly constructed and moves ahead at a steadily increasing pace to its climax.
Sophie is delighted to be assigned to report on a huge Spring costume gala at the palatial home of one of Milwaukee’s most important and wealthy families. Naturally there is a disruption. Is that disruption connected to a murder that same night?
Sophie struggles throughout the arc of the story, intersecting with a large number of authentic characters in this well-written novel, to a final well-thought-out conclusion. The story is fun, engaging and this reader looks forward to more adventures with Sophie Strong, early Twentieth century girl reporter.
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, December 2021.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Sins of Edom, Devils Island, Reunion, Red Sky.