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Karen Abbott

Goodreads Author

Born

Philadelphia, PA, The United States

Website

https://karenabbott.net

Twitter

KarenAbbott

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Crime

Member Since

March 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/karenabbott

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This author is also published under Abbott Kahler.

Karen Abbott is the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, and, most recently, The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz- Age America, named an Amazon best book of the month for August 2019. She has written for newyorker.com, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Salon and other publications. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Why did you feel it necessary to glorify immorality and seduction in your book: Liar, Soldier, Temptress, Spy?

Karen Abbott History is rife with immorality and seduction, including in the Bible! It’s not my job to whitewash history, but to convey it as it happened, warts an…moreHistory is rife with immorality and seduction, including in the Bible! It’s not my job to whitewash history, but to convey it as it happened, warts and all. Thanks for reading.(less)

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How do you select what person or topic to write about. Also how do you go about finding resources? I have read both Liar , Soldier, Temptress, Spy and Ghosts of Eden Park and I enjoyed both. Also had the privilege of hearing you speak at the Friends of the Library in Daytona Beach. Any new books you are currently working on?

Karen Abbott Hi Karen,

Thanks so much for reading—I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my books! And how lovely that you came to hear me speak; I hope I did not disappoint.

I’…moreHi Karen,

Thanks so much for reading—I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my books! And how lovely that you came to hear me speak; I hope I did not disappoint.

I’ve gotten my ideas in a variety of ways. I’d say the most interesting one is the story behind my first book, Sin in the Second City. My great-grandmother and her sister immigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia in 1905. One weekend, the sister went to Chicago and was never heard from again. I’ve always been intrigued and haunted by this bit of family lore, and I began researching Chicago in 1905. Very quickly, I came upon a sensational news story: Marshall Field Jr., son of the department store scion, was shot in a brothel—the most lavish and exclusive in the world, run by two enigmatic sisters who had dreams of “elevating” their profession. Of course, I forgot all about my missing ancestor and became enthralled by these sisters and how this bizarre story played out during the Progressive Era (a wild ride in and of itself).

As for research materials, I cast the net far and wide. One of the first places I look is WorldCat.org, which is basically an online reference service that lists books, archives, and government files from libraries and archival repositories all over the world. I found the trial transcript for The Ghosts of Eden Park through World Cat.

As for my current book, it will be announced shortly! It’s a story of mystery and intrigue set in the Galapagos Islands at the dawn of World War II. The title: THEN CAME THE DEVIL. I’m very excited to begin working on it. I’m also working on a novel—hopefully, I’ll be able to sell it! Writing fiction requires a different set of skills, so we’ll see.

Thanks again for reading, and be well…

Abbott (less)

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Combine Editions
Karen Abbott’s books

Average rating: 3.67 · 43,321 ratings · 5,453 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War 3.76 avg rating — 17,177 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul 3.63 avg rating — 13,199 ratings — published 2007 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America 3.70 avg rating — 7,092 ratings — published 2019 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee 3.43 avg rating — 5,835 ratings — published 2010 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Novel Methods and Pathways in Cancer Glycobiology Research (Volume 157) (Advances in Cancer Research, Volume 157) by Charles J Dimitroff (Editor), Karen Abbott (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Karen Abbott…

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Karen’s Recent Updates

Karen Abbott liked Paula Pugh's review of The Kindness of Strangers: A Novel: " A terrific old style mystery with many multilevel characters and interesting life roads. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.All thoughts and opinions are my own. "
Jan 24, 2026 03:52AM · see review
Karen Abbott liked Shannon's review of The Kindness of Strangers: A Novel: "Truly excellent and expertly written. This quirky and gritty tale in 1953 London sweeps you right in and carries you through to its ultimate end. The characters' lives swirl together in the past, present and future. Secrets are hidden and then start " Read more of this review »
Jan 24, 2026 03:52AM · see review
Karen Abbott and 1 other person liked Sarah's review of The Kindness of Strangers: A Novel: "A whodunnit - but also a 'who is it that has been dun'. The boarding house provides a cast of characters, many seemingly innocent until a nugget of information is revealed and suddenly they look rather guilty. There are lots of interesting observatio" Read more of this review »
Jan 08, 2026 12:29PM · see review
Karen Abbott and 2 other people liked Jeremy Reppy's review of The Kindness of Strangers: A Novel: "“The Kindness of Strangers” ends on a very strong note. For much of the book, I thought the story was decent but not great, a little odd but with some good twists. However, the book becomes better in the final chapters when the circumstances around J" Read more of this review »
Jan 04, 2026 02:44AM · see review

More of Karen's books…

Quotes by Karen Abbott (?)

“Leave the fireworks for those who cast no spark of their own.”
― Karen Abbott, Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

tags: awesome, chicago, inspirational, whores

40 likes

“It is so delightful to be of enough consequence to be arrested,”
― Karen Abbott, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War

14 likes

“An amusing city, Chicago, any way you look at it. I'm afraid we are in for the time of our lives.”
― Karen Abbott, Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

8 likes

See all Karen Abbott's quotes »

Polls

March BoTM Nominations ~ Book About Women's History ~ 1st Poll
Top 5 books will move to Final Poll

The Witches: Salem, 1692

by Stacy Schiff

11 votes, 20.8%

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

by Kate Moore

9 votes, 17.0%

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

7 votes, 13.2%

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

by Malala Yousafzai

4 votes, 7.5%

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by Irin Carmon

4 votes, 7.5%

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War

by Karen Abbott

3 votes, 5.7%

The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait

by Frida Kahlo

2 votes, 3.8%

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

2 votes, 3.8%

The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan

by Jenny Nordberg

2 votes, 3.8%

The Wife

by Meg Wolitzer

2 votes, 3.8%

Vanessa and Her Sister

by Priya Parmar

1 vote, 1.9%

No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women

by Estelle B. Freedman

1 vote, 1.9%

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

by Yeonmi Park

1 vote, 1.9%

Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women

by Sarah Helm

1 vote, 1.9%

The Feminine Mystique

by Betty Friedan

1 vote, 1.9%

A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France

by Caroline Moorehead

1 vote, 1.9%

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

by Denise Kiernan

1 vote, 1.9%

The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster

by Tim Crothers

0 votes, 0.0%

America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines

by Gail Collins

0 votes, 0.0%

53 total votes

1 comment

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