Death at Hull House. Allium Press of Chicago. Pub Date: Dec. 2009. Historical mystery. 250 p. Trade Paperback $15.99 ISBN-13 978-0-9840676-0-2.
In this sequel, Emily Cabot 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. AVAILABLE DECEMBER 2009!!!
“As in the Devil in the White City, this yarn takes place in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair, and like in that nonfiction bestseller, murder intrudes on the city’s cultural uplift with surprising consequences. Emily Cabot, one of the first female graduate students at the University of Chicago, invites her mother and brother to join her in the city to attend the fair along with her teacher Dr. Stephen Chapman. At the fair, Chapman turns pale as a ghost when he runs into a woman who turns out to be an old flame. When her husband is killed, and Chapman is found by the body, it is up to Emily and a rotating cast of advisers, some recognizable from your history texts, some not–to free him…” Publishers Weekly
On Sunday Jan. 10 we had a Launch Party for Allium Press and DEATH AT HULL HOUSE. Allium Press has also put out an edition of DEATH AT THE FAIR. It was a fun party and many thanks to Augie and Tracey at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore for letting us have it there. We had wine, cheese and some 1890’s cookies and brownies baked by publisher Emily Victorson herself. It was so much fun we need to get another book out just to have a party!!! Thanks to all for coming.
Death at Hull House.
McNamara, Frances (Author)
Dec 2009. 264 p. Allium, paperback, $14.99. (9780984067602).
In the late-nineteenth century, after Emily Cabot is expelled from the University of Chicago for actions
occurring while clearing a man unjustly accused of murder, she obtains a position at Hull House, assisting
Jane Addams in the operation of the famous settlement house for immigrants on the West Side of Chicago.
Soon after she moves in, a man who had come to see her is found bludgeoned to death. Concerned that her
younger brother may be involved, Emily launches her own investigation. Meanwhile, her brother,
convinced that the man who murdered their father has fled to Chicago, does some sleuthing of his own.
Details concerning the operation and the people of Hull House, along with an overview of the deplorable
living conditions faced by immigrants (and the lack of concern for the poor expressed by the city’s
businessmen and politicians) give this novel a rich historical framework, made all the more poignant by
the portrayal of the smallpox epidemic of 1893. McNamara’s historical mystery will appeal to those who
enjoyed Ann Stamos’ Bitter Tide (2009), about the immigrant experience in New York City.
— Sue O’Brien
Schaumburg Township District Library will host a a day. And as a member of the local Sisters in Crime, I will attend along with Emily Victorson, publisher of Allium Press of Chicago. There will be an advanced look at DEATH AT HULL HOUSE due out in October.
Coffee, Tea and a Smoking Gun….
Saturday, September 12 – 10am to 4:30 pm
Second floor meeting rooms
Spend the day with member authors of Sisters in Crime, Chicagoland chapter. The day will include workshops, panel discussions, readings, book sales and signings, as well as other events. A detailed schedule and list of participants will be available at the Readers’ Advisory Desk closer to the event.
In Death at the Fair, Ida B. Wells is distributing her pamphlet THE REASON WHY THE COLORED AMERICAN IS NOT IN THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION: THE AFRO-AMERICAN’S CONTRIBUTION TO COLUMBIAN LITERATURE See a preview of this books on Google Book Search at:
