Indiscretions Along Virtue Avenue — Harper Courtland

This highly researched novel follows the life of Sadie Orchard, a real historical character, born Sarah Jane Creech in Mills County, Iowa, in 1859. A prostitute, Sadie moved into Kingston, New Mexico Territory, in 1886, claiming to be from London. Within a year, she had her own brothel on Virtue Avenue. Outrageous stories abound about Sadie, but some find it plausible that she employed dynamite in an attempted murder. Harper Courtland blends the myths with known details of Sadie's life, adds an element of the supernatural, and lets Sadie fill in the rest. If you find things in this story that seem hard to believe, remember that, above all else, Sadie was a liar.