1920’s Chicago

Jeanne M. Dams: Murder of a Recluse

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Oak Park Village #3

I read the first book in this series, Murder in the Park, when it came out in 2021.  It stuck in my head, and when I picked up the latest book four years later, the place and characters came back to me right away.  Set in a Chicago suburb in the 20’s, the books follow now new bride Elizabeth Wilkins.  She’s separated herself at last from a difficult and controlling mother and is finding life as a young bride very pleasant.  She and her husband are building a house and are making space for his Aunt Lucy in their new home. read more

Susanna Calkins: Murder Knocks Twice

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Susanna Calkins had a wonderful series set in 17th century England, featuring maid turned bookseller Lucy Campion.  Those were slightly more serious in tone than this delightful new series launch from this talented writer.  Murder Knocks Twice is set in prohibition era Chicago, with all the attendant issues of the mob, the past war, and the depression coming into play.  Series heroine Gina Ricci is out of work and finds a job at a speakeasy through a friend.

She’s a little unsure about working there – she’s worried about what her father will think, for one thing – and for another, she’s replacing a girl who was killed and that makes her slightly wary. Calkins has a brisk story telling style, and she quickly establishes her setting and a wide array of characters.  She’s very good at delineating characters and making them memorable; I was never unsure or trying to remember who she was talking about, and to me, that’s the mark of a very good writer. read more