Eliza Ripple is a naive eighteen-year-old girl whose parents force her to wed a young man visiting her hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He projects wealth and ambition, so they feel their daughter will be well-cared for. The couple moves to Monterey, California, as the 1848 Gold Rush is winding down. Eliza’s husband demeans her and essentially expects her to be his slave. Thus, when her hot-tempered husband is killed in a bar fight, Eliza spends no time mourning him. She refuses to return to the harsh winters of Michigan and her Bible-thumping family. With few viable options, she joins Mrs. Park’s brothel and has an easier life than she did with her husband—with the additional benefit of becoming financially independent.
Eliza builds relationships with other women, and they keep each other safe. At Mrs. Park’s, Eliza sees one or two clients a day, and a bouncer provides physical protection. In addition, Mrs. Park “bans” undesirable men. Eliza’s best friend Jean is a lesbian who enjoys dressing in men’s clothing, and thus provides a “male escort” when Eliza needs one.
Eliza is unsophisticated and poorly educated but that doesn’t hinder her. She reads avidly and when her sailor clients teach her about the equator, longitude, and latitude, and the many places they’ve traveled, she absorbs the knowledge like a sponge.
Things take a turn for the worse when Eliza discovers the body of a murdered young woman in a creek just outside of town. As women continue to disappear and local law enforcement refuses to seriously investigate, Eliza and Jean team up to investigate. They readily admit they have no idea what they are doing, but they do have a text book of sorts: Edgar Allen Poe’s tales featuring the detective C. Auguste Dupin. The women learn to think logically and look for clues. Eliza learns to observe people, especially men, knowing that at times her ability to predict their actions might save her life.
Jane Smiley’s writing is smooth and flowing. She evokes beautifully the time of the Gold Rush and the rough and tumble character of the village of Monterey. Her characters are interesting and likable. I particularly enjoyed her depiction of prostitution as just another job to go to then come home and get some rest. A Dangerous Business is more of a historical novel than an action-packed noir detective book, but, as always with Smiley, I enjoyed reading it and watching Eliza’s character develop.
********************
A Dangerous Business (Knopf, December 6, 2022) is available through:
********************
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases.
