Historical mysteries are my jam. When I am in a reading slump they are my go to to as a way to try break it. So I like to always have one on the ready to read. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane for my DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well, this was a tale that captured my attention during the first part of the book but then lost it in the second half. I feel like there was more of a focus on the mystery in the beginning with it shifting to the underlying romance in the second half. I did enjoy the characters and getting to know them and their backstories.

The ending left me thinking this may become a series. If so I may try the second book as I’m curious as to what the main characters will get up to next.

A nice start to what will hopefully be a new series. Edie, who set up her own business after her fiance ditched her for her sister (boo to both of them) and Gil, who has hidden himself away after returning from WWI find one another when his sister goes missing. There's a villain afoot in Philadelphia and while you might know who it is before they do, it's still an interesting hunt. These two make a good team. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to more from Adams.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS
-m/f historical suspense
-murder mystery
-single parent
-opposites attract
-migraine and PTSD rep


This was such a great read. A murder mystery, an atmospheric historical, and two people who love the first time around didn't work out. Edie and Gilbert were wonderful main characters, opposites in so many ways, pushed aside by society, and just trying to live their lives assuming love would never play a part again. I loved watching them clash together to solve the mystery as their chemisty built. The entire world including secondary character was so well drawn. I can't wait to read whatever Jenny writes next.

Philadelphia, 1921. Twin Edie Shippen on returning home finds her sister Frances engaged to the man she loves decides to become what she believes is a modern woman. This high society female (this group of people including Edie are mostly unlikeable) meets up with war veteran Dr Gilbert Lawless, coroner's assistant to investigate a series of murders.
Overall an enjoyable historical mystery.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is 1921 in Philadelphia and Edie Shippen has come home from California after recovering from the influenza that killer her mother and almost killed her. Her only souvenir is migraine headaches.

Gilbert Lawless has come home from fighting in World War I with severe shell shock which he is treating with heroin. He is working as a doctor at the morgue and raising his four-year-old daughter after the death in childbirth of his wife.

The two come together while investigating the same problem. There is a serial killer taking young women. One of the Shippen household maids has disappeared as has one of Edie's cousins. Then Edie's maid, this one Gilbert's sister, disappears. The police were quick to right off the first maid's disappearance but the disappearance of young women from the highest class isn't so easy to write off.

Meanwhile, Gilbert has been dealing with the bodies of young women found near the river with a variety of injuries. All of them have evidence of being strangled and have strange marks on their wrists and ankles. But the first body is missing its head, the second is missing all of her internal organs, the third has been skinned, and the fourth is missing her eyes and tongue.

Edie is determined to find her maid and Gilbert to find his sister. Their search takes them to the underbelly of Philadelphia with meetings with gangsters and an illicit boxing match before they determine that the killer is someone much closer to Edie's home and life.

This was an engaging story which stars two people who are damaged in various ways as a result of World War I and the influenza epidemic. I liked that Edie was trying to live her own life despite the pressure to be a safe, soft socialite. I liked Gilbert's struggles with his shell shock and his determination to give his daughter a good life.

This is a fine debut, though the villain is evident at 25% with the mention of electric shock therapy, but I still enjoyed the investigation. The characters on the "common," non-society side of the character list are appealing. Those on the society side of the character list are less likeable. The female main character is abrasive and it's hard to sympathize with her when she doesn't acknowledge that she created the situation she's in with her sister and former fiancé. The writing is a little goofy and unsophisticated.

Both main characters are working through trauma and it'll be interesting to see how they evolve.

I picked this up before bed intending to read only a chapter or two and was 20% through before I knew it--and the book only got more gripping from there. I really loved this one! The characters are absolutely fantastic, the historical details are charming and authentic, and the mystery itself had enough twists to keep me guessing. This was easily the most enjoyable mystery I've read in awhile. Highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

A Deadly Endeavor is a historical mystery following two leads who are recovering from the traumas WW1 and the subsequent influenza pandemic. Edie and Gilbert are interesting characters, but the rest of the cast are a little bit shallow in terms of development. The setting is descriptive, the interactions between difference classes are interesting, and the mystery is good, but the plot moves slowly for most of the middle section of the book, making it easy to put the book down. Additionally, it wasn't hard to figure out the villain's identity fairly early, and I was even able to figure out his motivation quickly, so the reveal didn't have as much of a punch. The ending is pleasant enough and sets things up for a sequel, which could have more potential.

This book was so much fun, with the Jazz-age atmosphere so palpable you can almost taste it. Edie and Gil were both compelling protagonists, each fighting their own internal battles and presenting brave faces to the world. I LOVED the dual-POV narrative which allowed us to view the protagonists through different lenses. Adams did an amazing job of creating thoughtful, three-dimensional, and sympathetic characters. This book deftly handles the unfurling of a serial killer mystery with the perfect balance of lightness and gravitas; the romance is charming and the twists and turns phenomenal. You don't want to miss this!

A suspenseful and lovely whodunnit with a memorable central romance and lots of beautiful fashion, not to mention gunslinging and gambling and a truly psychotic villain…. Brava!

Nicely gritty historical mystery, well written and decently evocative of time and place. I didn’t like Edie much at the beginning, but she grew on me and I’m looking forward to reading more of her adventures. I figured out the murderer early on but , boy howdy! - the motive and denouement caught me totally by surprise. It was a fun read.

A depraved serial killer haunts the streets of Philadelphia in this mystery set in 1921. Women of both high and low class have been murdered, seemingly senselessly, but something more might be tying them all together. Edie Shippen, who has just returned from California where she was recuperating from influenza, finds herself drawn into these murders via proximity to the victims. The stakes raise when her maid, Lizzie, goes missing, bringing Lizzie's brother Gil into Edie's orbit. Gil also has an interest in the case. Not only does he fear for his sister's life, he is quite aware of the ruthlesness of the killer as he works at the city morgue. The two of them will have to team up and try to untagle this mystery before the murderer strikes again.

This was quite fun and I had a great time reading it. The strenght of the writing here lies in the characters. This book has a dual point of view that worked because both protagonists were quite distinct and different. Edie is a charming woman who hides a deep fragility, both physical and emotional. While not street savvy she's nonetheless brave and willing to care. There is a natural and enjoyable growth to her during the book. Gil on the other hand is a very complex character. Suffering from a great loss and stuggling with shell shock yet resolute and loving to his family. The chemistry between the two was natural and explosive, probably my favorite part of the book. All characters really had quite distinguished personalities, like Marco or Lizzie. We got to meet some of the murder victims before their deaths and I did feel empathy when their untimely ends came.

I do think the mystery could have been stronger, since this is what the plot claims to be about. If you're an avid whodunnit reader you will immediately know who the killer is. This didn't cheapen the plot to me that much, but it did have me yelling at the characters a bit. Perhaps a bit more of misdirection could have made it harder to predict. The motives of the murderer made sense but I would have liked to see the writer elaborate on that. The set up also took a bit more time that I feel could have been used on the murder plot but, I will say that the last 20% was very exciting and had a couple of reveals that I did not see coming. I don't know if this is a series but, if so, I would gladly read a second book following these two characters.

If you want to:
1) be transported to 1920s Philadelphia
2) meet a cast of suspicious characters
3) hear great fashion details (those hats!)
4) see an amateur sleuth hunt a serial killer (along with her sidekick, a pug named Aphrodite)

...then you should definitely read A DEADLY ENDEAVOR! Thanks to Crooked Lane and the author for granting me access. I hope there will be a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jenny Adams for this digital ARC.

I was eager to start this cozy mystery, and was not disappointed. Edie returns home to Pennsylvania after many years away, with her health and constant migraines taking a toll on her. Finding that her sweetheart from years ago is now engaged to her twin sister doesn't help matters. Gilbert, shell shocked from WWI, spends his days working in the coroner's office. When he and Edie collide, they will get dragged into a mystery set in the Roaring Twenties in Philadelipia. Just a heads up - the story is a bit darker than the typical cozy mystery.

I love this cover. Very striking and unusual!
The story itself is well written and interesting in that the characters are unusual and the setting really drew me in but the mystery was slow (it felt like almost half the book until something happened that they began to investigate) and I found the main character very irritating - spoilt and unlikeable.

Im going to be honest and say that the cover of this book was what drew me to it.
I wanted to know about the mystery woman in the shadows.
I wasn't disappointed at all in fact I stayed up all night to finish it.
I thought the author did very well in bringing all the characters to life.
Most specifically Edie. I thought she was great! I didn't think her selfish at all. Just uncertain about a few things that's all
The mystery part was my favorite.
I enjoyed the many twists and turns this novel has.
I loved sitting on the edge of seat waiting to see what happened next.
5 stars for a job well done.
I recommend this novel.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first in what is hopefully a series. Edie has moved back to her wealthy Philadelphia family after years away, and her already emotionally complicated return soon gets caught up in the case of a serial killer whose victims are all linked to Edie. She works with a doctor haunted by his own past to try to stop the killer and protect friends and loved ones. This is darker than a typical cozy, with some gruesome killings and serious emotional content. It’s very well written and suspenseful. The characters are well drawn and realistic, and the story itself is compelling. I hope a second entry arrives soon to see what is next for Edie. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams is a really fun roller coaster ride with many twists and turns. Set in the 1920s Our plucky socialite unwittingly finds herself smack dab in the middle of a series of murders. I really like this book, and it had me hooked on page 1.

I have been waiting impatiently to get my hands on this delightful book, and it surpassed my expectations! I love Edie and Gil SO much. The plot was so perfectly paced, the descriptions of the setting—and the clothing!—were fabulous. I love the characters’ backgrounds and how cleanly they were folded into the storyline without infodumps. If you are a fan of Miss Fisher, you will adore this story!

Cannot wait for more from this author!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this delightful story. Opinions are my own.

I love a mystery that pairs a couple of amateur sleuths with different skill sets and you definitely get that in this first outing from debut author Jenny Adams. Edie is the daughter of a councilman, just back in Philly after convalescing and recovering in California from the flu pandemic. In the interim she finds out her fiancé returned from war and took up with her twin sister. It’s time for Edie to take control of her own future. Gil is a widowed war vet who now works as a coroner in Philly. The disappearance of a series of women in Edie’s new circle puts these two on a path to uncovering the killer.

Adams paints a vivid picture of Jazz Age Philly (think Gatsby, but it’s not glamorous for everybody) and it’s the details that made it for me. From the aftermath of WWI and the Great Flu to seances to cocktails to the use of a telephone exchange numbers.

Edie’s never had to think about her own privilege, so the investigation also serves as something of a transformative experience for her. While most characters in the story are white, there are marginalized side characters (both POC and LGBTQ+). Gil being an Irish immigrant who’s sister is a maid for Edie’s family also brings class and economic status into the story. And in fact, I loved that the class difference between these two ends up being an asset as each have different skills and access in Philly’s social strata. You get gangsters, you get Richie-Riches, you get people who work in service.

I should also mention over the course of the investigation, you do get a little romance. After all, Edie’s a modern woman now.

The story does have at least one loose end that left me going, “Ok, but what about…?” But overall, this is an immensely enjoyable debut. I’ll definitely be back for more.

CW: loss of spouse in childbirth, flu pandemic, PTSD flashbacks, semi-graphic post-mortem descriptions