Girl in Disguise

By: Greer Macallister

Narrated by: Stephanie Cozart

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

For the first female Pinkerton detective, respect is hard to come by. Danger, however, is not.

In the tumultuous years of the Civil War, the streets of Chicago offer a woman mostly danger and ruin - unless that woman is Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective and a desperate widow with a knack for manipulation. Descending into undercover operations, Kate is able to infiltrate the seedy side of the city in ways her fellow detectives can't. She's a seductress, an exotic foreign medium, a rich train passenger - all depending on the day and the robber, thief, or murderer she's been assigned to nab. Inspired by the real story of Kate Warne, this spirited novel follows the detective's rise during one of the nation's greatest times of crisis, bringing to life a fiercely independent woman whose forgotten triumphs helped sway the fate of the country.

©2017 Greer Macalister (P)2017 Recorded Books

Great historical fiction read

I thought this book was a great historical fiction read, as it is based off of real characters in history. The author was able to bring Kate's character to life, even though there is not much historical fact known about her. I enjoyed reading how Kate was able to overcome the many challenges of her time

Great read!

Fun historical fiction / detective novel with a very engaging female protagonist (a real person, who I’d never heard of but am glad I discovered.) Fast paced and easy to consume in a sitting or two. Loved the narrator (Stephanie Cozart) as well and will definitely listen to more of her stuff, as well as Macallister’s.

Lame Title for a Such a Great Book

Normally, the complete banality of the title would have stopped me cold. However, the story of the First Female Pinkerton Detective was one I wanted to hear so I gave it a shot. Wonderful! The character of Kate Warn was historically and fictionally fascinating to listen to and the performance was flawless. When the love story suddenly arrived after all the criminal investigations, bleeding people, skullduggery and intrigue, I was caught by surprise. I quickly became so enamored of the pair that I was rooting for them as if I knew them personally. I highly recommend.

Someone has to be first...

and Kate Warne was. After a jerky and awkward start, with too-modern vocabulary for the time, Mcallister's characters and story settled down. Then the adventures began! I enjoyed learning the skills of a Pinkerton agent along with Kate. I enjoyed her undercover assignments. Her mistakes were as real as her successes. Her self analysis added insight to her motivations as well as to her loves and regrets. The "girl in disguise" becomes a woman with a very clear view of herself and the world around her.

Easy listening. enjoyable story

Not earth-shaking, but enjoyable. I'm glad I listened to it, because it was good to hear the story of the first female Pinkerton operative. It wasn't a page-turner, but a good story.

Engaging Historical

Based on the real "first female detective", Kate Warne, at the Pinkerton Agency, I enjoyed this quite a lot. There are good historical references, excellent characters, and several cases to be solved. Some interesting background for the American Civil War, when the agency served an intelligence gathering function. Some liberties have been taken with the true story, but no more than usual in historical fiction.

The narrator, Stephanie Cozart, has good pacing, a pleasant voice, and clear diction. Very enjoyable to listen to, and serves the story well.

Good story

good story, felt narrator didn't do as well with male voices, with the understanding that one male was described as having a high pitched voice

kept me interested

I did like it a lot, I think the reason I gave it a four was I wanted more. I wished there was more in the end, but overall a great book.

Did not finish

I wanted to like this book because the premise was a good one and so I gave it a good ten chapters before I finally bailed out. Although told in first-person POV, I never felt connected to the protagonist, Kate Warne. The author simply couldn’t hold my interest. It’s too bad, this could’ve been a fantastic story.
In addition, the voice actor was woefully miscast — her voice far too young and high-pitched to make a believable Kate, let alone any of the male characters. So laughable it was distracting.

Good story Great narrator

I recently learned of Kate Warne and her service to the famous Pinkerton Agency as its first woman detective. She impressed Mr Pinkerton so greatly that he not only spoke well of her during her lifetime, but arranged for her burial in his own family plot. Who was this noteworthy pioneer? Maccallister’s fictional account provides some answers and plenty of reasons to appreciate Mrs Warne. The performance by Stephanie Cozart adds greatly to the pleasure of Mrs Warne’s company. I’ll be looking for Cozart’s narration on other Audible selections.