How to Read the Emily Cabot Mystery Series
If you love historical mysteries that double as rich time-travel experiences, Frances McNamara’s Emily Cabot series is a must-read. The series follows Emily Cabot, one of the first female graduate students at the University of Chicago, as she navigates the social, political, and cultural shifts of Chicago from the Gilded Age through the Great Depression. Because Emily grows, ages, and experiences life-altering milestones (including marriage, motherhood, and eventually becoming a grandmother) alongside the city she calls home, reading this series in order is highly recommended.
Fortunately, the publication order matches the internal chronology of the books. By reading them in the order they were published, you will follow Emily's personal timeline as well as the historical timeline of Chicago from 1893 to 1930.
Emily Cabot Mysteries in Chronological & Publication Order
Here is the complete sequence of Emily Cabot’s investigations, complete with the real-life historical backdrops that make each book so immersive:
- 1. Death at the Fair (2009)
Set during the dazzling 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (the famous "White City"). Emily Cabot, a young woman seeking an academic career, finds herself investigating the murder of a prominent promoter. Along the way, she teams up with real-life activist Ida B. Wells to investigate racial discrimination and a crime linked to a Southern lynching.
- 2. Death at Hull House (2009)
Set during the harsh winter immediately following the World's Fair (1893–1894). Emily finds shelter and purpose working with Jane Addams at Hull House, the famous social settlement. When a smallpox epidemic sweeps through the immigrant neighborhood and a killer strikes among the reformers, Emily must search for a culprit amidst the panic and poverty.
- 3. Death at Pullman (2011)
Set in the summer of 1894 during the historic Pullman Strike, a turning point for American labor. Emily is drawn into the company town of Pullman, Illinois, where she investigates the murder of a worker. This book highlights the growing labor movement and features real historical figures like Eugene Debs.
- 4. Death at Woods Hole (2012)
Taking a brief detour from Chicago, this installment takes Emily to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during the summer of 1894. At the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Emily hopes to escape her troubles, but instead finds herself investigating the death of a brilliant young female scientist. This book deals with the hurdles women faced in scientific research at the turn of the century.
- 5. Death at Chinatown (2014)
Set in 1896, this book returns Emily to Chicago, specifically to the city's emerging Chinatown. Emily becomes embroiled in the tensions and conflicts between the rival Hip Sing and On Leong tongs. It offers a fascinating look at the immigrant experience and the prejudice faced by Chinese Americans in late 19th-century Chicago.
- 6. Death at the Paris Exposition (2016)
The dawn of the 20th century takes Emily across the Atlantic to the 1900 Paris Exposition. Amidst the stunning displays of art and technology, Emily is drawn into a mystery involving stolen jewels, high society scandals, and international intrigue. It's a fun, glamorous change of pace for the series.
- 7. Death at the Selig Studios (2018)
Set in 1909, this novel leaps forward in time to explore the birth of the American film industry. Long before Hollywood, Chicago was a major hub for silent movies, led by the Selig Polyscope Company. Emily investigates a murder on the movie set, giving readers a peek into the chaotic and exciting early days of film production.
- 8. Death on the Homefront (2022)
Set in 1917, Chicago is gripped by the entry of the United States into World War I. Emily, now a mother, must navigate the paranoia, anti-German sentiment, and political crackdowns on the homefront when a young draft resistor is found dead. This story highlights the domestic tensions of a nation at war.
- 9. Death in a Time of Spanish Flu (2022)
Set during the height of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Emily is faced with a double crisis: volunteering as a nurse to help patients during the devastating outbreak, and solving a murder where the killer is using the pandemic to mask their crimes. It is a poignant, tense mystery that draws strong parallels to modern public health crises.
- 10. Death at the Chicago Trust (2025)
Set in the winter of 1930, during the onset of the Great Depression. A widowed Emily is now a grandmother who has lost her life savings in the stock market crash. When she witnesses her banker's suicide followed closely by a mob shooting, Emily is dragged into the dark underbelly of Prohibition-era Chicago, facing gangsters and financial corruption.
Chronology and Character Growth Caveats
Unlike some cozy mysteries where characters remain frozen in time, Emily Cabot ages in real-time. In Death at the Fair, she is an idealistic 21-year-old student. By Death at the Chicago Trust, nearly four decades have passed, and Emily is a grandmother navigating a very different world. Because the social networks, family dynamics, and political stances of the characters evolve significantly from one book to the next, jumping into the middle of the series can spoil major character arcs.
If you do decide to read them out of order, try to at least read the first three books (Fair, Hull House, and Pullman) in sequence, as they lay the foundation for Emily’s core relationships and her status in Chicago society.
What to Know Before You Start
Frances McNamara brings her background as a university librarian to every page. The historical detail is meticulous, and McNamara makes a concerted effort to weave real-life social reform issues into the narrative. You won't just see historical events; you will learn about the labor rights movement, the early fight for civil rights, women's higher education, and the development of public health. Real-life figures like Ida B. Wells, Jane Addams, Eugene Debs, and pioneer filmmaker Selig appear as active characters, interacting naturally with Emily.
What to Read Next: Frances McNamara's Other Series
If you finish Emily's adventures and want more from Frances McNamara, you are in luck. She has penned two other distinct mystery projects:
- The Nutshell Murder Mysteries: This fascinating historical series is set in 1920s Boston and stars Frances Glessner Lee, the real-life "Mother of Forensic Science" who created the famous Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (dioramas used to train investigators). Books in this series include Molasses Murder in a Nutshell, Three-Decker Murder in a Nutshell, and Joy Street Jail Murder in a Nutshell.
- The Lucy O'Donnell Series: Starting with Murder at St. Hilaire (2025), this series follows a retired female Boston police officer and a Chinese grandmother teaming up to solve crimes.