The Detective's Assistant

By: Kate Hannigan

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Based on the extraordinary true story of America's first-ever female detective, this fast-paced adventure recounts feats of daring and danger...including saving the life of Abraham Lincoln!

Eleven-year-old Nell Warne arrives on her aunt's doorstep lugging a heavy sack of sorrows. If her Aunt Kate rejects her, it's the miserable Home for the Friendless.

Luckily, canny Nell makes herself indispensable to Aunt Kate...and not just by helping out with household chores. For Kate Warne is the first-ever female detective employed by the legendary Pinkerton Detective Agency. And Nell has a knack for the kind of close listening and bold action that made Pinkerton detectives famous in Civil War-era America. With huge, nation-changing events simmering in the background, Nell uses skills new and old to uncover truths about her past and solve mysteries in the present.

Critic reviews

A Booklist Editors' ChoiceA Chicago Public Library Best BookA Nerdy Book Club Award WinnerA Bank Street College Best Children's BookAn SCBWI Golden Kite WinnerAn ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List for Feminist Books SelectionA Mighty Girl Top Books for Tweens and Teens Pick

* "Accessible and captivating...With skilled writing that conveys the excitement of detective work, the appeal of history, and Nell's authentic, good-humored personal growth, this is one for the ages."—The Bulletin (starred review)

* "Hannigan keeps a strong narrative hand on the several stories she has going on simultaneously: the mysteries surrounding the deaths of Nell's father and uncle; Nell's correspondence with her best friend, who traveled the Underground Railroad to safety in Canada; and several Pinkerton adventures that involve chicanery, American history, and lots of excitement."—Booklist (starred review)

"Hannigan makes skillful use of period details, bringing the novel's threads together in a nail-biting conclusion. Nell is a fearless, no-nonsense heroine, and her dry-witted narration drives this rollicking historical escapade."—Publishers Weekly

"A rousing fictional account of the remarkable career of a pioneering woman."—Kirkus

"Nell is an irrepressible character: spirited, thoughtful, and intuitive...Recommend to readers who enjoy adventure, history, and stories featuring independent, strong-minded girls."—SLJ

Leah

Love it 👏
This app is great i love to listen to the story’s and I enjoy this a lot

A New Piece of History

This was a quite interesting and entertaining story. The narrator did a very good job of being a young teen girl; even though I found some of the characters mannerisms frustrating. The historical significance provided by the author at the end over shadowed any of my complaints of the young teen story teller. This is a short and historically significant book about a woman breaking down barriers.

Sidekicks rule!

This is the first book I've read or listened to by Kate Hannigan, but I hope it is not my last. The story is historical fiction and includes some true elements, but the main character is fiction and was fun to read and cheer for. Her adventures with the Pinkertons have a nice mix of suspense and humor and the action keeps moving along, which is important in middle grade fiction.
Hannigan includes interesting details of the time without letting the story get overwhelmed in the history--she keeps readers firmly focused on the main character, who I found relatable, clever, and spunky. I would recommend this for MG readers who enjoy a good balance of adventure and historical fiction with strong central characters and quirky secondary characters.

excellent historical fiction adventure for tweens.

we loved this book! we listened with the whole family including girls 9 & 11, and boy aged 7. great story, great adventure, with important historical context.

Enjoyed from first page!

I mostly enjoyed the way Ms. Hannigan successfully wove an entertaining story around actual history. I know “Historical Fiction” is a sub-genre of Fict., but many offerings take so much license with events that they belong in Alt. Reality Fict. This trend seems to be growing but I don’t really know. The Detective’s Asst. treated Kate Warne’s history well and I appreciated the use of actual cases throughout. (It must be hard weaving a good story when limited by aim of using as much true history possible. Thanks Ms. Hannigan! and Ms. Lakin!