Debut author Jenny Adams appears in conversation with award-winning YA author Kyrie McCauley, discussing Adams’ novel A Deadly Endeavor — a historical mystery about a serial killer on the loose in Jazz Age Philadelphia, featuring a lush Roaring Twenties setting and a wickedly smart sleuth to cheer for. To reserve your copy of the book for the event, use the Add to Cart button on this page.
Philadelphia, 1921. When Edie Shippen returns home after spending years in California recovering from Influenza, she’s shocked to discover that her childhood sweetheart is engaged to her twin sister. Heartbroken and adrift, Edie vows to begin living her life as a modern woman — and to hell with anyone who gets in her way. But as young women start to disappear from the city, her newfound independence begins to feel dangerous.
Gilbert Lawless returned home from the Great War a shell of his former self. He hides away in the office of Philadelphia’s Coroner, content to keep to himself until a gruesome series of corpses come into the morgue. And when his sister, Lizzie, goes missing, he risks his career to beg help from the one person Lizzie seemed to trust: her employer, Edie Shippen.
Fearing the worst, Edie and Gilbert desperately search for clues. It soon becomes clear that Lizzie’s disappearance is connected to the deaths rocking the City of Brotherly Love…and it’s only a matter of time until the killer strikes again.
Jenny Adams (she/her) has always had an overactive imagination. She turned her love of books and stories into a career as a librarian and author of novels for adults and teens. She holds degrees in Medieval Studies and Library Science from The Ohio State University and Drexel University, and is an alumna of Blue Stoop’s 2019 YA Novel Intensive and the 2021 Tin House YA Workshop. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her family.
Kyrie McCauley (she/her) spent her childhood climbing trees in dresses and reading books during class. She is the author of If These Wings Could Fly, recipient of the 2021 William C. Morris Award. Kyrie holds a Master of Science in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and has worked in advocacy and development for non-profit organizations. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her family, three cats, and a dog that eats books and is never sorry.