An Unsuitable Job (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781954995482)

Boston, 1929. The Great Depression has left its mark on every household-including the MacFarlands'. But for Josephine, the economic downturn only sharpened her resolve to forge a different path. She's never conformed-not to her family's expectations, nor to society's narrow view of a respectable young woman. Branded impulsive and unsuitable for marriage, Josie defied it all by joining the ranks of the Harvey Girls, young women trained to bring elegance and order to the railways of the American West.

Then came the scandal. Sent home in disgrace, Josie thought her chance for independence was gone.

Until now.

The Fred Harvey Company summons her back-not to waitress, but to investigate. A man has been murdered at the Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and they want the matter handled quietly. With little more than a train ticket and her determination, Josie becomes the first-ever Harvey House Detective, charged with solving a case no one wants exposed.

She arrives to suspicion and silence. The sheriff refuses to work with a female investigator. Her former friend Lily, now a maid at the hotel, offers only polite distance. And Daniel Naranjo, once her confidant, gives her back her beloved pinto, Rio-but not his trust.

When a letter arrives announcing her dismissal, Josie is stranded, penniless, and unwelcome. But she refuses to go quietly-not when her future, her name, and a man's life demand justice.

For readers of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Sulari Gentill, "An Unsuitable Job" introduces a bold new heroine navigating murder, reputation, and reinvention in a time when women were expected to stay silent.