Just finished reading: The Widow Spy
I just finished reading The Widow Spy by Megan Campisi. I selected this book for the following reasons:
It was in the new arrivals section, so I had no choice but to read it quickly.
The first sentence of the description mentioned a Pinkerton agent.
This book selected me for the following reason:
Holy crap Henry Wilson is in it!!
At the risk of spoilers, I can’t say much but I have a few thoughts.
Pinkerton’s
Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency showed up recently in The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power, by Steve Fraser. Not in a “we’re abolitionists and trying to make the country better by getting rid of terrible criminals” kind of way. In a “hey, we work for Big Business and we’ll crush the little guy” kind of way. (Their business model changed after Allan Pinkerton died and his sons took over.)
I learned more about the agency in a recent Stuff You Should Know episode.
FUN FACT! 👁️
Their motto (“We Never Sleep”) and logo lead to the term “private eye”.
People who showed up in this book
It’s no surprise that some of these individuals would be mentioned in a book about the Civil War. Two were shocking though —
Queen Victoria
Henry Wilson
My jaw was the on the floor when Wilson appeared. (I gasped very loudly and dramatically. Nobody in my family was as blown away as I was. Or at all.) A mere week ago, I know nothing about this guy. This is now my third blog post referencing him.
That’s all I can say
Without ruining the book, that’s all I can share. But if you’ve read The Widow Spy, I want to know.
Looking for more fiction?
[gasps dramatically!]