Kate Warne is credited as the First Female Detective in the United States, but she certainly didn’t do it alone. In the new graphic novel, Better Angels, readers get a look at Kate’s life and how she and the women who worked alongside her helped save President Elect Abraham Lincoln from being assassinated before he was even inaugurated. Pretending to be a supporter of the confederacy, Warne infiltrated women’s sewing circles and gathered information about planned assassination attempts.
I adored this graphic novel as it doesn’t just focus on Kate Warne’s involvement, but that of the other women who worked with her including Mrs. Baker, a black woman who has left slavery. Readers, know that you’re going to have to read some of the most vitriolic statements about people of color in light of the Confederacy in the United States. These areas are deeply uncomfortable, but accurate for the time period.
Better Angels from Archaia is available Tuesday November 2nd.
