NOT THEY WHO SOAR

The youngest member of the Wright family—sister of Wilbur and Orville—solves her second murder case.

Whether despite or because of the challenges posed by the death of her mother, Katharine Wright is a strong and independent woman. A graduate of Oberlin College, she holds a teaching position and actively supports her renowned brothers’ work. Upon arriving in St. Louis in 1904 as a guest of her college friend Margaret Goodwin Meacham, whose husband is at the World’s Fair to promote his bank, Katharine experiences a brief but harrowing encounter with a distraught woman at a railroad station. Fortunately, she’s saved from a nasty fall by another Oberlin classmate, reporter Harry Haskell. The fair’s overwhelming abundance of attractions renders Katharine’s two-week stay insufficient to explore all its offerings. Although a pending patent has kept her brothers from competing for the fair’s prestigious aeronautical prize, Katharine is intrigued by the candidates’ endeavors. On her first evening at the fairgrounds, she encounters Alberto Santos-Dumont, an arrogant Brazilian balloonist favored to win the prize. Upon arriving at Santos-Dumont’s hangar, she and Margaret discover that his balloon has been vandalized, and they spot the woman from the railroad station nearby. Running in pursuit of her, Katharine rounds a corner to find the woman stabbed and uttering the words “aeronautic competition” before succumbing to her injuries. The investigation reveals a multitude of potential suspects, including a twin sister, a menacing carny, and several other competitors for that prize.

The World’s Fair emerges as the central figure, complemented by a profusion of characters, many drawn from real life.