Karen
Christino recreates New York City in 1926 in her first novel, The
Precious Pachyderm: An Evangeline Adams Mystery. Karen has also written horoscopes for Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Marie
Claire magazines, and seven books about
astrology. To learn more about Karen and her books visit her website.
History
for a Mystery
I easily lose myself in historical
research, as it transports me back to a lost time. I had read many histories of
the 1920s to write my biography of the famous American Astrologer Evangeline
Adams. But when I decided to write a mystery novel about her, I knew I had to
bring the period to life in a more vibrant way.
I’d already read too many mysteries set in the ‘20s featuring
stereotypical mobsters and molls. Others made little attempt to capture the
period. How might I bring real people to life while conveying to the reader the
texture and feel of this long-ago time? My many office day jobs suggested I center
the book round the astrologer’s office and her assistants. I expected I’d need
to read more books, but I soon learned that my best sources were elsewhere.
My first real job had been working for an old film
production company. They’d held onto their vintage switchboard for decades, and
I was taught how to use it. I worked it into the plot since it would’ve been a
key component of office communications – phones didn’t even have dials in 1926,
the time I’d chosen to set my story.
I may have also been in the last generation to learn typing
on a manual machine. Typewriters looked very different 100 years ago, but when
I learned to type in high school, their operation, with carbon paper and few
remedies for errors, was essentially the same. And I also remembered my
brother’s retro-style candlestick phone, which had always been difficult for me
to use – requiring two hands! But that was helpful, too.
As luck would have it, I discovered that my current job’s
building had been built in 1927 – with many period fixtures of the time
remaining. We’ve probably all gone through a revolving door – which I’m still
never totally comfortable with. And the occasionally problematic elevator
service would offer me an opportunity to ride the vintage freight elevator. I’d
always been curious about it, but I now had an excuse to engage the operator
and observe the mechanics.
I began to realize how many remnants of the past were still
with us. Evangeline Adams’ offices adjoined the famous Carnegie Hall in New
York City. When I visited, an archivist took me to a suite that was similar to
hers. There’s nothing like seeing a space first-hand, and the
turn-of-the-century building had 12-foot ceilings with high and wide windows
all around – like nothing I’d ever seen before.
And Central Park – where I knew Adams often walked her
Pekinese dogs – was just a few blocks away. While contemporary autos and buses
whizzed by, I could see that the Park itself and many of the nearby buildings were
virtually the same when Evangeline had settled there over 100 years before.
My research eventually turned online for books, magazines
and old films from the time. But my personal experiences had been the most
helpful in convincing me that yes, we could reclaim the past!
The
Precious Pachyderm
An Evangeline
Adams Mystery, Book 1
Manhattan, 1926. A
wealthy businessman found dead. A priceless elephant figurine gone missing. And
famous astrologer Evangeline Adams is a primary suspect. To save their jobs,
Adams’ assistants Mary Adler and Clara Cosentino investigate the astrologer’s
classy clients, oddball employees and offbeat associates to help discover who
really committed the crime. And Evangeline solves her first case with the help
of astrology in this funny, fast-paced whodunit.
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