At the end of the 19th century, a new term emerged: "New Woman". This woman was independent, assertive, educated, career-oriented, and a supporter of women's rights to control their own lives and finances. The concept was radical at the time (meaning that although women gained more rights in terms of legislation, the attitudes were slow to follow), but these short stories don't make a huge deal about the women, and the ones that were written by men don't condemn or disapprove of women who support themselves (and in one case, a husband as well).

As is evident from the second title, Forgotten Cops and Private Eyes from the Time of Sherlock Holmes, the protagonists in these stories are either detectives or people who end up in situations where their set of skills is useful. Two authors have dedicated their writings to Mary Holland, who among other things worked as a fingerprint instructor and was dubbed as the Sherlock Holmes of Chicago. I can imagine how someone like her would inspire authors who wanted to write about lady detectives.

Granted, most women in the stories end up as detectives because of necessity, their profession isn't necessarily widely considered as a socially acceptable thing to do for a woman, and many people are initially surprised, but like Sims says in his introduction, "[t]he unwavering gaze inspired by confidence is a unifying trait among lady detectives". They need to be sure of themselves to succeed, not timid little flowers.

These ladies end up gaining the trust and admiration of their clients, and as working women they are more than qualified to be role models, such as Loveday Brooke, who "doesn’t act subservient in order to curry favor with her superior; frequently Brooke verbally spars with her boss, Ebenezer Dyer. She is socially mobile, moving constantly between train and cab, princess and housemaid, village and city. Occasionally she must walk alone at night unaccompanied by a man, which instantly places her in the suspect category of a likely prostitute". If necessary, they will also point a gun at criminals, or tell a policeman to get his shit together and help with a fainted woman, or chase down a suspect by bicycle.

When it comes to Sherlock Holmes, the best stories aren't inferior to the gentleman detective at all. It's a gross misrepresentation to say that these have been forgotten because of their quality. There are multiple reasons why something is stuck in the back pages of the history books, and it's not always because it's somehow bad.

Sims's collection does contain two or three duds and some of them have a bit too much exposition and telling instead of showing, but all of them have been written well and clearly (nothing that a reader already familiar with 19th century prose hasn't encountered before), and they're genuinely entertaining instead of being mere historical curiosities. I'm looking forward to exploring some of these authors further, and I'll deal with the individual detectives in more detail when I get the chance to search for the stories.

"Under my corkscrew-like qualities as a detective he had no more chance than a tender young cork with a corkscrew proper. I believe that to the end of the chapter he never comprehended that I was a detective. His mind could not grasp the idea of a police officer in petticoats."