Synopses & Reviews
History, mystery, murder and magic accompany Nellie Bly - Victorian Age detective, reporter, and feminist - as she takes up a challenge by Jules Verne to beat the eighty days it took his fictional hero Phileas Fogg to race around the world. Nellie tackles the journey--alone, with a single change of clothes--against the wishes of her publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, who felt it was “too dangerous for a woman to attempt.”
In her official account of the journey, Seventy-Two Days Around the World, Nellie leaves out one riveting event: a mysterious death. In the bustling harbor city of Port Said, she witnesses an event that makes her a target for a killer and involves her in international intrigue with the fate of nations at stake.
On board the ships that take Nellie from the Land of the Pharaohs to the exotic Orient and across the Pacific are the most famous magicians in the world... but a killer also stalks the decks. As magicians conjure the fantasy and a spiritualist raises the dead, Nellie wonders if Mr. Pulitzer had underestimated the danger.
Review
Praise for
The Alchemy of Murder“What a fabulous debut!”
--Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Stand novels
"Doing for the City of Light what Ann Perry has done for Victorian London and what The Alienist did for 19th century New York, Carol McCleary has written a gripping, atmospheric, electrifying masterwork!"
--Barbara Woods, international bestselling writer, and author of The Blessing Stone
“Feisty, funny, opinionated, persistent, Nellie Blys as tough as any male she meets. A tale of peril and pursuit that is sure to keep you turning pages long after you should have been asleep. Dazzling entertainment, so well constructed you'll re-read it after youre done!”
--William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Constitution
Review
“Delightful and well-researched.”
—Mystery Scene
"A top-of-the-line read from an innovative author.”
—RT Book Reviews
“What a stroke of genius that McCleary chose an early female pioneer of journalism for her sleuth. Nellie proves herself more than capable of racing around the world while solving a couple of murders. Fans of Suzanne Arruda and Rhys Bowen will love this one.”
—Library Journal, starred review
Synopsis
The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, sets sail around the world on a dazzling adventure.
Synopsis
The intrepid Nellie Bly—Victorian Age detective, reporter, and feminist—embarks on an adventure that will test her courage and determine the fate of nations…
Jules Verne challenges Nellie to travel around the world in less than the eighty days it took his fictional hero. Nellie knows she has what it takes, even if her publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, thinks the journey is far too dangerous for any woman to attempt.
But when Nellie witnesses a tragic murder and is drawn into a mystifying web of international intrigue, she realizes that she may indeed be in over her head. As Nellie sails from the Land of the Pharaohs to the exotic Orient and across the Pacific, a killer follows. It will take every ounce of Nellie Blys charm and boundless determination to circumnavigate the globe, find a murderer, and stay alive.
About the Author
CAROL MCCLEARY was born in Seoul, Korea, and lived in Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines. She now lives on Cape Cod in an antique house that is haunted by ghosts. She is currently working on her next Nellie Bly novel.