Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death at the Fair | 2009 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 2 | Death at Hull House | 2009 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 3 | Death at Pullman | 2011 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 4 | Death at Woods Hole | 2012 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 5 | Death at Chinatown | 2014 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 6 | Death at the Paris Exposition | 2016 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 7 | Death at the Selig Studios | 2018 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 8 | Death on the Homefront | 2022 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
| 9 | Death in a Time of Spanish Flu | 2022 | Frances McNamara | Buy |
The Emily Cabot Mysteries by Frances McNamara follow Emily Cabot, a young graduate student and social activist, as she solves murders in Chicago from the 1890s through the early twentieth century. Each book is set against a different historical event or location, starting with Death at the Fair (2009) at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
The series blends real history with fictional crime plots. Emily encounters actual historical figures and institutions, from Jane Addams at Hull House to the Pullman Company during the 1894 strike. As the series progresses, Emily’s investigations take her to Chinatown, the Paris Exposition, early film studios, and through the upheavals of World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic. The books reward readers who enjoy both well-researched historical settings and fair-play mysteries.