About this Event
Join us for a lively discussion about Boston in historical fiction with authors Frances McNamara and JB Harris. McNamara and Harris will talk about their recent novels, Three-Decker M**der in a Nutshell and The Immigrant’s Wife, respectively, and also answer questions about the process of writing historical Boston tales.
Frances McNamara grew up in Boston, where her father served as Police Commissioner for ten years. She has degrees from Mount Holyoke and Simmons Colleges, and retired from the University of Chicago. She now divides her time between Boston and Cape Cod.
She is the author of the Nutshell M**der Mystery series, which follows "Mother of Forensic Science" Frances Glessner Lee. The first in the series, Molasses M**der in a Nutshell, was released in 2023. Book two, Three-Decker M**der in a Nutshell, released in 2024.
Set in 1919, Three-Decker M**der in a Nutshell is a mystery set against the backdrop of the infamous Boston Police Strike. Following a death in East Boston, Frances Glessner Lee and her colleagues investigate the case at the North Grove Street morgue.
JB Harris is happily married to her husband of 28 years, and mom to three teenagers and two rescue dogs. She loves books, chocolate, wine, and traveling. A graduate of Emerson College’s MFA program, she went on to teach fiction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels before publishing her short fiction in such publications as Boston Literary Journal, The Beacon Street Review, Puckerbrush Review, and Grasslimb. She was recently named a finalist in both the Hal Prize in Fiction and the WOW Spring Flash Fiction Contest. The Immigrant’s Wife is her debut novel. JB is currently working on her second novel touted as Still Alice meets Olive Kitteridge.
Told in dual POV, The Immigrant’s Wife is an historical women’s fiction inspired by the disappearance of Harris’s great grandfather. In 1913, a middle-class girl and a Greek immigrant defy her parents and buck society by eloping, but when TB rips them apart they give up everything, including each other, for their love and for their child.
Set in the West End of Boston, Harris’s novel is a story of love and perseverance during a period when consumption ravaged America. Harrowing but ultimately hopeful, The Immigrant’s Wife is a compelling story of self-sacrifice, resilience and devotion.
This event is would not have been possible without the support of Boston Properties (BXP).
For those who find cost to be a barrier to attendance, there will be a limited number of tickets made available to the community free of charge at the door compliments of BXP.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Hub on Causeway Community Room, 52 Causeway Street, Boston, United States
USD 10.00