Siblings Brigid and Seamus Reardon emigrate from Ireland in 1877 because it's easier for their parents' landlord to pay for the teens' passage to America than to continue feeding them.  Eager to seek better lives in the land of opportunity, Brigid finds work in Minnesota as a domestic servant while Seamus heads west in search of gold.  A few years later, Brigid receives word that her mother has died.  Grief-stricken and tired of dodging the wandering hands of her employer's lascivious son, she decides to reunite with Seamus in South Dakota.  

Brigid is shocked by what she finds in Deadwood, a bustling city that's dirty, violent, and lawless.  She's only just arrived when a popular prostitute is stabbed to death in the street.  Seamus, who claims to have loved the woman truly, becomes an immediate suspect.  Knowing her brother could not have done such a shameless deed, Brigid urges him to leave town while she tries to figure out who killed Lily.  Her amateur investigation does not go unnoticed and soon she finds herself caught in the glare of a cold-blooded murderer.  Can Brigid bring Lily's killer to justice?  Or will hers be the next body bleeding out on the mean streets of Deadwood? 

The Streel by Mary Logue is a fast-paced mystery that's compelling even though it's not super twisty.  The setting is atmospheric, the characters sympathetic, and the plot exciting.  I liked Brigid, who is hardworking, upright, compassionate, and brave.  It's easy to root for her as she works to prove her brother's innocence.  The Streel is barely over 200 pages, so it's a fast read and one that easily kept my attention.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Streel with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.