Scandal in the Secret City
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Libby Clark takes a feminist approach to science—and solving a murder—in this “gripping puzzler of a mystery” set in WWII Tennessee (Library Journal).
Oak Ridge, Tennessee is known as the Secret City. It rose seemingly overnight in 1942, built by the US government. No one was quite sure what its purpose was, but there was certainly something going on . . .
Libby Clark, a gutsy Bryn Mawr graduate, is determined to find her place as a scientist in a world where women are thought better suited to housework and marriage. As the only female scientist in the top-secret facility, Libby is excited to begin what she believes is important government research. But she soon discovers that something more sinister is afoot.
One frosty night she finds the dead body of her roommate’s sister sprawled behind the bleachers. The police don’t seem to think finding the killer is important, so it’s up to Libby to make sense of the situation. Aided by a band of like-minded scientists, Libby follows every possible lead . . . even as they take her to a shocking conclusion.
Scandal in the Secret City is the first book in the Libby Clark Mysteries, which also includes Treason in the Secret City and Sabotage in the Secret City.
“Fanning re-creates the atmosphere at Oak Ridge effectively, and her exploration of the ethical issues surrounding security are timely today. A promising new series.” —Booklist
“Readers will be engrossed by . . . [the] authentic details.” —Library Journal, starred review
“An intriguing change from Fanning . . . bolstered by thought-provoking details of the obstacles women faced in the wartime workforce.” —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This awkward first in a new WWII-era series from Fanning (Chain Reaction) introduces Elizabeth "Libby" Clark, a chemist at the secret atomic bomb development facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., who encounters sexism, suspicion, and jealousy from male colleagues as well as from women employed in secretarial and other clerical positions. Only the friendship of her roommate, Ruth Nance, and the approval of Gen. Leslie Groves, head of the Manhattan Project, provide solace. After Ruth and Libby stumble across the body of Ruth's sister, Irene, who also worked at Oak Ridge, their pursuit of the case results in Ruth losing her job and Libby facing official stonewalling and pressure to forget what she has seen in the name of the national interest. Libby subsequently turns to an eccentric coterie of scientists for help in tracking down the killer in a story guilty of gaps in logic and an obvious perpetrator.
