In November 1919 a woman is found dead. Police assume she fell from the back porch of a three-decker in East Boston. At the funeral home, they discover she was shot. Medical examiner Magrath is furious at newly hired police detective Peter Attwood for the mistake. Since the police strike in September, experienced Irish detectives like McNally have been blackballed and inexperienced men like the Harvard student have been hired. Frances Glessner Lee is determined to help both Magrath and young Peter who is grandson to her widowed friend. Lives of Boston Brahmins and Irish clash as they hunt for the truth.

This is the second in a series of fictional stories roughly based on the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Over twenty miniature crime scenes were used from the 1940s to the present to train police detectives. Set in the 1920s, these stories imagine Frances Glessner Lee working with Dr. George Magrath to learn about “legal medicine” as forensic science was known at the time. Working with Magrath provided the foundation for the miniatures for which Frances Glessner Lee has become known as the “Mother of Forensic Science.”

Praise for Three-Decker Murder in a Nutshell:

“Once again, Frances McNamara brings together the “dynamic duo” of Frances Glessner Lee and Dr. George Magrath, who use the evolving field of forensic science to lead the reader through their methodical journey of investigation. Magrath’s decades of experience and Lee’s inquisitive mind that “work(ed) with the accurate precision of a railroad watch,” according to Perry Mason novelist Erle Stanley Gardner, chart a course that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, until the clues sprinkled throughout the story come together for an exciting conclusion.” William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator Glessner House

"This book is a delight for fans of stories set in the early days of forensic science. It presents characters determined enough to test authority and patient enough to test theory against practice. It also offers details about time and place, political and social situations, and major historical figures. In this case: the days before Prohibition, the Brahmins vs. the workers, and former Boston mayor “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald. Suitably twisty-turny and yet surprising; plot resolution centers not only on the usual forensic suspects—bullets, fingerprints—but also on a piece of delicate handiwork." Historical Novel Society review https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/three-decker-murder-in-a-nutshell/

Praise for Molasses Murder in a Nutshell   Nutshell Murder Mystery #1

 “Overall, Molasses is a real treat. Settings and back stories about the time period run smoothly. Particularly delicious is the unexpected denouement. This reader, for one, looks forward to the next Nutshell mystery.” Historical Novel Society

"One of the challenges of anyone writing historical fiction is to tell a compelling story while getting the setting and the time period 'right.'  Frances McNamara masterfully accomplishes both with Molasses Murder in a Nutshell -- a riveting read that occurs amidst the sights and sounds of the early 20th century.  What more can lovers of historical fiction ask for?" Stephen Puleo, author of Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919