A Female Private Detective

 

When I was working on my latest historical romance, Dreams For Courage, I thought it would be such fun if the heroine was a private detective. 

I'll confess, part of my desire to give my character that career is become I love Miss Scarlet and The Duke, a Masterpiece show on PBS . Miss Scarlet is a private detective full of spunk and bravado, and she's smarter than most of the men around her. 

I wanted Rhetta to be like her. 

And she is. Rhetta is clever and witty, determined and brave. 

When I was researching female private detectives in the late 1800s, I happened upon a real life female private detective named Cora Strayer.

Cora was born in 1869 in Elkhart, Indiana, and married young (some sources say at 16, others at 17). She had two children, but they both died, and she ended up divorced from her husband. 

Cora Strayer moved to Chicago where, in 1902, she placed an advertisement for her detective agency headquartered in the Austin neighborhood.

Apparently, her status as not only a female detective, but also a "lady boss" was such an amusing novelty, an article about her was publishing in 1903 in the Tribune. In it, she said, “A woman with her quicker sympathies and intuition has a great advantage in winning confidence … I often have people come to me and tell me a story which I can perceive immediately is but half truth.” She goes on to claim she studied law for several years, although there is no proof of that. 

She is pictured in an ad in 1905 with a George S. Holben listed as a “Supt. of the Criminal Department.” It is reported he was her first employee, and the two of them live together for several years, although they did not wed.  He ends up being shot and killed by a disgruntled former employee in 1910.

Cora then marries Robert Lincoln Fortune who was 24 years old to her 43. He died in 1913 and later that year, she files bankruptcy.

But Cora isn't ready to fade quietly into the twilight.

In 1914, Cora forms the First Volunteer Women's Calvary Regiment to take up arms and join the fight in the Border War with Mexico. She is quoted as saying: "Do you want to wait until all the men are killed to do your duty, sisters? A woman that would stand and let a man do all the fighting and suffering for his country is not a soldier. She belongs in the effete ranks of those who hurry abroad when the trouble starts. Pooh! She is not even worthy of the ballot."

The results of Cora's efforts are a regiment of 200 women, although they of course weren't allowed to fight. It is uncertain what, exactly, Cora planned to do once women joined her efforts. 

In 1931, Cora is still running ads for her agency. 

In 1932, Cora died from a cerebral hemorrhage. 

In her lifetime, she caught countless philandering husbands, brought scheming wives to justice, motivated 200 women to take up arms, was known as a "boss lady" until her death. 

Will two lonely hearts find the courage to love?

A loner for most of his life, Rowan Reed wants nothing more than to be left alone. He buys a run-down farm near Holiday, Oregon, intending to turn it into a successful ranch through hard work and determination. When a nosy, albeit beautiful, woman shows up on his doorstep, the instant attraction he feels to her sets off nearly as many warning bells as her barrage of probing questions.

Private detective Rhetta Wallace always unearths the truth. Involved in a lengthy investigation into a man suspected of killing a politician's son, her pursuit leads her to the town of Holiday. Accompanied by her adopted son, Rhetta finds herself squaring off against the grumpy, growling rancher she believes is the suspect. Whether or not Rowan admits his true identity, Rhetta is sure of two things: his innocence of the crime, and the deep affection he awakens in her heart.

Will their dreams for courage help them release the past and embrace a future together?

♥  ♥  ♥

Get your copy of Dreams For Courage today!

 

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and hopelessly romantic moments with unforgettable characters.

When this award-winning farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.