Mrs. Sherlock Holmes

Title: Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case that Captivated a Nation

Author: Brad Ricca

Published: January 2017 by St. Martin's Press

Pages: 436

Genre: nonfiction, history, true crime

Obtained: library








Summary: This is the story of Grace Humiston, a lawyer and investigator, from the early 1900's.  Her story centers around the case of Ruth Cruegar, a young woman from New York that went missing.

Thoughts: This was a very well researched, interesting book from which I learned a lot about Grace Humiston and America in the early 1900's.  Grace Humiston was the first woman in the NYU daytime law program, the first female consulting detective to the New York City police department, and the first female district attorney.  She was an advocate for women and immigrants and a female investigator at a time when it was rare for a woman to have this role.  She helped fight against white slavery and helped save people on death row that were innocent of the crimes for which they were found guilty.  She helped expose police corruption and to show how legal and police processes did not always work.  The author described some of Grace's cases in great detail, making sure to include all sides to a story and conflicting viewpoints, leaving it up to the reader what to believe.  The author brought in people having to do with Grace's cases and projects and told some of their stories too.  He showed what society and culture was like in the United States in the early1900's through Grace's story.
     The author must have done so much research and found so many interesting stories and facts while doing this that it was very hard to cut things out.  In a way this is great because the reader gets all this information and learns so much about history.  On the other hand, if the reader is someone looking for an organized story about Grace Humiston, he or she does not get this.  This book is more for those wanting to learn rather than those looking for a well written true story.  The author described events, weather, and settings that reminded me that I was not in the present, but not to the extent that I could really picture all this in my head or feel like I was there.  He tells facts about Grace Humiston and other people from the time period, but at the end of the book I did not feel like I knew much about any of these people's personalities, just the facts of what they did.  At the end of the book, the author gives a summary of what happened to each key player in the book.  I thought it was an excellent wrap up.
     When I read a nonfiction book it is to learn, not necessarily to enjoy a great flowing story, which I look for in fiction.  The author is working with information that is available and I don't want him or her to add in information that he or she creates to add to the story.  This would not be a true nonfiction book.  To me the research and presentation of interesting information that holds my attention is the most important part of a nonfiction book.  So, I really enjoyed this book.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any of the topics I mentioned above.  If you are looking for a well organized and edited, smooth flowing story, this is not for you.

                                                                       

Company: French Creek Tea Company
325 Mt. Rushmore Road, Custer, SD 57730
Phone: 695-673-5383, Anniesemp@gmail.com

Tea: Working Girl

Obtained: sample from French Creek Tea Company





     The French Creek Tea Company, located in South Dakota, was launched by Royia and Duane Hrncir.  They do not sell their teas online at this time.  So, I included their contact information above.  Their tea can be purchased at Annie's Emporium, which looks like a fun place to spend some time if you are planning on visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota.
     Working Girl is a blend of black teas flavored with cranberries, apples, and assorted dried fruits.  Even samples from the French Creek Tea Company come in good quality, easy to open, resealable bags, as seen above.    When I opened this package I got a whiff of sweet fruit that instantly put a picture in my mind of a penny candy store.  The blend was mostly black tea leaves with a few pieces of dried fruit.
     I poured twelve ounces of water that had been boiled over two teaspoons of leaves.  I let this steep for four minutes.  The deep orange liquid had a light, sweet, fruity scent that still reminded me of a candy store.  The taste was a wonderful blend of black tea and slightly sweet fruit.  This was a delicious, warm blend with a fall flavor.  It was one of the best black tea and fruit blends I have ever had.  It was slightly sweet, not overpowering, and there was no bitterness.  What I love most about this company is their ability to get a blend - the flavors are not overpowering and the tea flavor is still there.  I just loved Working Girl!