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The Emily Cabot Mysteries: Books 1-3
Praise for the Emily Cabot Mysteries
“Laurie King and Rhys Bowen fans will be delighted.” —Publishers Weekly
“I’d follow Emily to any location.” — Ellen Keith, Historical Novels Review
“Fascinating history underpins the tale.” —Publishers Weekly
“Historical detail, intriguing real-life characters, and a complex mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A well-crafted plot with fascinating period detail...a cracking good mystery.” —Publishers Weekly
Rich with historical details that bring turn-of-the-century Chicago to life, these novels will appeal equally to history buffs and mystery fans.
Death at the Fair: The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition provides a vibrant backdrop for this exciting mystery. Emily Cabot is one of the first women graduate students at the University of Chicago, eager to prove herself in the new field of sociology. While she is busy exploring the Exposition with her family and friends, her colleague, Dr. Stephen Chapman, is accused of murder. Emily sets out to search for the truth behind the crime but is thwarted by the thieves, corrupt politicians, and gamblers who are ever-present in Chicago. A lynching that occurred in the dead man’s past leads Emily to seek the assistance of the black activist Ida B. Wells.
Death at Hull House: After Emily Cabot is expelled from the University of Chicago, she finds work at Hull House, the famous settlement established by Jane Addams. There she quickly becomes involved in the political and social problems of the immigrant community. But when a man who works for a sweatshop owner is murdered in the Hull House parlor, Emily must determine whether one of her colleagues is responsible, or whether the real reason for the murder is revenge for a past tragedy in her own family. As a smallpox epidemic spreads through the impoverished west side of Chicago, the very existence of the settlement is threatened, and Emily finds herself in jeopardy from both the deadly disease and a killer.
Death at Pullman: A model town at war with itself…George Pullman created an ideal community for his railroad car workers, complete with every amenity they could want or need. But when hard economic times hit in 1894 lay-offs follow, and the workers can no longer pay their rent or buy food at the company store. Starving and desperate, they turn against their once benevolent employer. Emily Cabot and her friend Dr. Stephen Chapman bring much-needed food and medical supplies to the town, hoping they can meet the immediate needs of the workers and keep them from resorting to violence. But when one young worker—suspected of being a spy—is murdered, and a bomb plot comes to light, Emily must race to discover the truth behind a tangled web of family and company alliances.
The series continues with the titles Death at Woods Hole, Death at Chinatown, Death at the Paris Exposition, and Death at the Selig Studios.
“Laurie King and Rhys Bowen fans will be delighted.” —Publishers Weekly
“I’d follow Emily to any location.” — Ellen Keith, Historical Novels Review
“Fascinating history underpins the tale.” —Publishers Weekly
“Historical detail, intriguing real-life characters, and a complex mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A well-crafted plot with fascinating period detail...a cracking good mystery.” —Publishers Weekly
Rich with historical details that bring turn-of-the-century Chicago to life, these novels will appeal equally to history buffs and mystery fans.
Death at the Fair: The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition provides a vibrant backdrop for this exciting mystery. Emily Cabot is one of the first women graduate students at the University of Chicago, eager to prove herself in the new field of sociology. While she is busy exploring the Exposition with her family and friends, her colleague, Dr. Stephen Chapman, is accused of murder. Emily sets out to search for the truth behind the crime but is thwarted by the thieves, corrupt politicians, and gamblers who are ever-present in Chicago. A lynching that occurred in the dead man’s past leads Emily to seek the assistance of the black activist Ida B. Wells.
Death at Hull House: After Emily Cabot is expelled from the University of Chicago, she finds work at Hull House, the famous settlement established by Jane Addams. There she quickly becomes involved in the political and social problems of the immigrant community. But when a man who works for a sweatshop owner is murdered in the Hull House parlor, Emily must determine whether one of her colleagues is responsible, or whether the real reason for the murder is revenge for a past tragedy in her own family. As a smallpox epidemic spreads through the impoverished west side of Chicago, the very existence of the settlement is threatened, and Emily finds herself in jeopardy from both the deadly disease and a killer.
Death at Pullman: A model town at war with itself…George Pullman created an ideal community for his railroad car workers, complete with every amenity they could want or need. But when hard economic times hit in 1894 lay-offs follow, and the workers can no longer pay their rent or buy food at the company store. Starving and desperate, they turn against their once benevolent employer. Emily Cabot and her friend Dr. Stephen Chapman bring much-needed food and medical supplies to the town, hoping they can meet the immediate needs of the workers and keep them from resorting to violence. But when one young worker—suspected of being a spy—is murdered, and a bomb plot comes to light, Emily must race to discover the truth behind a tangled web of family and company alliances.
The series continues with the titles Death at Woods Hole, Death at Chinatown, Death at the Paris Exposition, and Death at the Selig Studios.
- GenresMystery
657 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2018
114 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Frances McNamara
31 books48 followersFrances McNamara grew up in Boston, where her father served as Police Commissioner for ten years. She has degrees from Mount Holyoke and Simmons Colleges, and formerly worked as a librarian at the University of Chicago. When not working or writing she can be found sailing on the Charles River in Boston or beaching on Cape Cod.
Be sure to follow me on BookBub to learn of new books and special sales https://www.bookbub.com/authors/franc...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 18, 2018
This ebook box set includes Death at the Fair, Death at Hull House, and Death at Pullman.
Death at the Fair ISBN 9780984067619
This takes place during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Emily is a graduate student at U of Chicago and is compiling police statistics as part of her research. Her mother and brother have come from Boston to visit her and the Fair. When her friend Doctor/Professor Chapman is accused of murder, she enlists the help of a police detective to help her clear him. The detective is fed up with the graft going on in Chicago politics. However her insistence on helping Chapman and his 'scandal' gets both of them in trouble at the university.
Death at Hull House ISBN 9780984067633
Emily is not welcome at the university any more, and it is suggested that she take up a post at Hull House, the settlement run by Jane Addams. Supposedly this will redeem her reputation. Rather reluctantly, she goes there and works at various jobs, not entirely happily. Dr. Chapman also volunteers at Hull House as a physician, so she still sees him occasionally. They get involved in the political and social problems of the local immigrants, especially sweatshop workers. When a man who works for a sweatshop owner is murdered in the parlor at Hull House, suspicion falls on the members and their helpers. Emily even begins to suspect her wayward brother Alden of the murder. When a smallpox epidemic strikes the area, Emily and the doctor are kept too busy to worry about the murder - but she can't let it go. When Dr. Chapman proposes marriage, Emily thinks he is doing it out of pity and refuses him.
Death at Pullman ISBN 9780983193807
Emily gets involved in a workers' strike at the Pullman Car factory. People living in the 'model town' of Pullman outside Chicago cannot afford their rents when their pay is cut. She gets to know several of the workers and their families and the Hull House people are trying to get Pullman to arbitrate with his workers, to no avail. When a young man is murdered, Detective Whitbread investigates. Emily witnesses another murder by a thug hired by the Pullman managers, and raises havoc because he has been set free. Eventually the thug is killed, too, and her involvement becomes deeper. The doctor proposes once again, after assuring her that she misunderstood his relationship with the daughter of a striker who has run off with one of the bad guys. The ending on this one got a little convoluted - a lot was packed into a few chapters.
All in all, I enjoyed all three books, although I got annoyed at Emily several times! She is very prone to leaping to unfounded conclusions, thinking she is in love with various gentlemen, and opening her mouth when it were better kept closed; but she has a good heart. Each book has an afterword explaining the historical background of the story, and which characters are real and which are fictional. I may look into buying additional books in the series if the price goes down a bit, since they don't strike me as being particularly re-readable.
Death at the Fair ISBN 9780984067619
This takes place during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Emily is a graduate student at U of Chicago and is compiling police statistics as part of her research. Her mother and brother have come from Boston to visit her and the Fair. When her friend Doctor/Professor Chapman is accused of murder, she enlists the help of a police detective to help her clear him. The detective is fed up with the graft going on in Chicago politics. However her insistence on helping Chapman and his 'scandal' gets both of them in trouble at the university.
Death at Hull House ISBN 9780984067633
Emily is not welcome at the university any more, and it is suggested that she take up a post at Hull House, the settlement run by Jane Addams. Supposedly this will redeem her reputation. Rather reluctantly, she goes there and works at various jobs, not entirely happily. Dr. Chapman also volunteers at Hull House as a physician, so she still sees him occasionally. They get involved in the political and social problems of the local immigrants, especially sweatshop workers. When a man who works for a sweatshop owner is murdered in the parlor at Hull House, suspicion falls on the members and their helpers. Emily even begins to suspect her wayward brother Alden of the murder. When a smallpox epidemic strikes the area, Emily and the doctor are kept too busy to worry about the murder - but she can't let it go. When Dr. Chapman proposes marriage, Emily thinks he is doing it out of pity and refuses him.
Death at Pullman ISBN 9780983193807
Emily gets involved in a workers' strike at the Pullman Car factory. People living in the 'model town' of Pullman outside Chicago cannot afford their rents when their pay is cut. She gets to know several of the workers and their families and the Hull House people are trying to get Pullman to arbitrate with his workers, to no avail. When a young man is murdered, Detective Whitbread investigates. Emily witnesses another murder by a thug hired by the Pullman managers, and raises havoc because he has been set free. Eventually the thug is killed, too, and her involvement becomes deeper. The doctor proposes once again, after assuring her that she misunderstood his relationship with the daughter of a striker who has run off with one of the bad guys. The ending on this one got a little convoluted - a lot was packed into a few chapters.
All in all, I enjoyed all three books, although I got annoyed at Emily several times! She is very prone to leaping to unfounded conclusions, thinking she is in love with various gentlemen, and opening her mouth when it were better kept closed; but she has a good heart. Each book has an afterword explaining the historical background of the story, and which characters are real and which are fictional. I may look into buying additional books in the series if the price goes down a bit, since they don't strike me as being particularly re-readable.
September 27, 2018
Fun mysteries with historical background.
September 27, 2018
Lots of historical info woven in this story
March 14, 2020
This is the first 3 books in the set of historical romance based in Chicago in the 1800's.
Read
September 14, 2018Book #1: Death at the Fair. A fascinating des eruption of the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, the plight of women being very reluctantly admitted to the heretofore Male bastions of graduate studies, and the tragic circumstances of African Americans in the Jim Crow South in post-Civil War. The author explains what parts of this great mystery actually happened, but she very cleverly wove the facts and fiction to create a believable story. Finished 9/13/18.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews