A Deadly Endeavor

In Adams’s spirited if haphazard debut, a beautiful young socialite and a working-class coroner become embroiled in the search for a serial killer in 1921 Philadelphia. Edie Shippen has recently returned to Philadelphia from California, where she recovered from the Spanish flu, only to discover that her twin sister is engaged to her former lover, Theo. Wounded, Edie resolves to become a sexually liberated “modern girl.” Meanwhile, coroner Gilbert Lawless, a former WWI medic, uses morphine to cope with his combat trauma and the untimely death of his wife. When Gilbert’s sister, whom Edie has just hired as her new maid, goes missing, the two team up to find her, and quickly discover that someone may be targeting and brutally murdering “modern” young women all across the city. Edie and Gilbert’s investigation—which sees the pair falling somewhat predictably in love—takes them to a gin palace, a boxing match, and the office of a fraudulent medium, among other locations, each of which Adams infuses with fascinating historical color. She never quite strikes the proper balance between grit and froth, however, seesawing between descriptions of violent slaughter and passages about Edie’s wardrobe and her pug, Aphrodite. The result is an uneasy blend of dark thriller and silver-spoon cozy. Agent: Amy Giuffrida, Belcastro Agency. (Mar.)