Carol McCleary has written a mystery series featuring real life journalist Nellie Bly as the protagonist. I first ran into Nellie Bly during a college course on the sociology of mental illness, since she had reported on the conditions in a late 1800's mental asylum from within, by pretending to be mentally ill herself.
When I googled her just now, I found out she is also well known for a 72-day trip around the world, in "competition" with Jules Verne's fictional journey (well, really Phileas Fogg's fictional journey, as written by Jules Verne...). And, per the blurb for the first title in the series, Verne also appears in the book, along with Oscar Wilde and Louis Pasteur. And it's set in Paris, and I'm a huge Francophile. And I like historical mysteries. And it's on sale. And...so I'm going to give this one a try...
The Alchemy of Murder, Nellie Bly #1, $2.99
link:
https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Murde...dp/B003CSOSQY/
Spoiler:
Quote:
The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century.
They are all in Paris—the capital of Europe and center of world culture—for the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.
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