The Streel: A Deadwood Mystery

In 1877, 15-year-old Brigid Reardon, the narrator of this superior series launch from Logue (the Claire Watkins mysteries), and her 16-year-old brother, Seamus, are dispatched by their impoverished Irish parents to America. Seamus seeks his fortune out West, while Brigid, who knows she must go into domestic service, winds up with the wealthy Hunt family in St. Paul, Minn. Just as she catches the eye of handsome heir Charlie Hunt, she receives news of her mother’s death. After praying to St. Brigid, she realizes she needs to be with her only family in America and sets out to join Seamus in Deadwood, a raw gold-mining town in the Dakota Territory. Soon after her arrival, Seamus is accused of murdering a prostitute he was in love with. After Seamus flees, it’s up to Brigid to find the real killer. Her investigation is hampered by male reluctance to see women as anything except wives or whores—and further complicated by Brigid’s uncertainty about how smooth-talking Charlie views her. A well-constructed plot, lilting prose, and a heroine who’s determined to escape constricting female roles make this an exceptional regional historical. Readers will look forward to Brigid’s further adventures. (May)