17 ratings | 3 reviews | avg rating:5.00

Karen Abbott’s Followers (710)

Karen’s Bookshelves

to-read (2)
currently-reading (0)
read (17)

Karen’s Friends (670)

Jennifer

5,468 books | 592 friends

Christy Vanoss

1,307 books | 110 friends

David Raterman

5 books | 1,908 friends

Carolyn Raship

3,938 books | 244 friends

Amy

2,370 books | 577 friends

Naseem

112 books | 755 friends

Danielle Patarazzi

1,220 books | 312 friends

John Madera

2,107 books | 1,979 friends

More friends…

Karen Abbott

Goodreads Author

Born

Philadelphia, PA, The United States

Website

https://karenabbott.net

Twitter

KarenAbbott

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Crime

Member Since

March 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/karenabbott

edit data

This author is also published under Abbott Kahler.

Karen Abbott is the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, and, most recently, The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz- Age America, named an Amazon best book of the month for August 2019. She has written for newyorker.com, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Salon and other publications. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Karen Abbott questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Why did you feel it necessary to glorify immorality and seduction in your book: Liar, Soldier, Temptress, Spy?

Karen Abbott History is rife with immorality and seduction, including in the Bible! It’s not my job to whitewash history, but to convey it as it happened, warts an…moreHistory is rife with immorality and seduction, including in the Bible! It’s not my job to whitewash history, but to convey it as it happened, warts and all. Thanks for reading.(less)

flag

8 likes · like
2 comments

ClaraBelle I realize that on the Bible. But you didn’t condemn it, you glorified it. But I still enjoyed the book.
Aug 21, 2020 02:27AM · flag

Karen Abbott It seems we have different definitions of both “glorify” and "immorality." To me, glorifying means celebrating, not reporting events from the historic ...more
Aug 24, 2020 02:45PM · flag

How do you select what person or topic to write about. Also how do you go about finding resources? I have read both Liar , Soldier, Temptress, Spy and Ghosts of Eden Park and I enjoyed both. Also had the privilege of hearing you speak at the Friends of the Library in Daytona Beach. Any new books you are currently working on?

Karen Abbott Hi Karen,

Thanks so much for reading—I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my books! And how lovely that you came to hear me speak; I hope I did not disappoint.

I’…moreHi Karen,

Thanks so much for reading—I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my books! And how lovely that you came to hear me speak; I hope I did not disappoint.

I’ve gotten my ideas in a variety of ways. I’d say the most interesting one is the story behind my first book, Sin in the Second City. My great-grandmother and her sister immigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia in 1905. One weekend, the sister went to Chicago and was never heard from again. I’ve always been intrigued and haunted by this bit of family lore, and I began researching Chicago in 1905. Very quickly, I came upon a sensational news story: Marshall Field Jr., son of the department store scion, was shot in a brothel—the most lavish and exclusive in the world, run by two enigmatic sisters who had dreams of “elevating” their profession. Of course, I forgot all about my missing ancestor and became enthralled by these sisters and how this bizarre story played out during the Progressive Era (a wild ride in and of itself).

As for research materials, I cast the net far and wide. One of the first places I look is WorldCat.org, which is basically an online reference service that lists books, archives, and government files from libraries and archival repositories all over the world. I found the trial transcript for The Ghosts of Eden Park through World Cat.

As for my current book, it will be announced shortly! It’s a story of mystery and intrigue set in the Galapagos Islands at the dawn of World War II. The title: THEN CAME THE DEVIL. I’m very excited to begin working on it. I’m also working on a novel—hopefully, I’ll be able to sell it! Writing fiction requires a different set of skills, so we’ll see.

Thanks again for reading, and be well…

Abbott (less)

flag

5 likes · like
Comment

See all 7 answers from Karen Abbott…

Combine Editions
Karen Abbott’s books

Average rating: 3.67 · 43,384 ratings · 5,453 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War 3.76 avg rating — 17,207 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul 3.63 avg rating — 13,209 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America 3.70 avg rating — 7,112 ratings — published 2019 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee 3.43 avg rating — 5,838 ratings — published 2010 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Novel Methods and Pathways in Cancer Glycobiology Research (Volume 157) (Advances in Cancer Research, Volume 157) by Charles J Dimitroff (Editor), Karen Abbott (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Karen Abbott…

Have more reading time these days, but don't know where to begin? We're here to help! We've asked some of your favorite authors to...

rss
Karen’s Recent Updates

Karen Abbott is now friends with Dan \| The Ancient Reader
Feb 01, 2026 07:04AM · like
Karen Abbott and 1 other person liked Paula Pugh's review of The Kindness of Strangers: " A terrific old style mystery with many multilevel characters and interesting life roads. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.All thoughts and opinions are my own. "
Jan 24, 2026 03:52AM · see review
Karen Abbott and 1 other person liked Shannon's review of The Kindness of Strangers: "Truly excellent and expertly written. This quirky and gritty tale in 1953 London sweeps you right in and carries you through to its ultimate end. The characters' lives swirl together in the past, present and future. Secrets are hidden and then start " Read more of this review »
Jan 24, 2026 03:52AM · see review
Karen Abbott and 1 other person liked Sarah's review of The Kindness of Strangers: "A whodunnit - but also a 'who is it that has been dun'. The boarding house provides a cast of characters, many seemingly innocent until a nugget of information is revealed and suddenly they look rather guilty. There are lots of interesting observatio" Read more of this review »
Jan 08, 2026 12:29PM · see review

More of Karen's books…

Quotes by Karen Abbott (?)

“Leave the fireworks for those who cast no spark of their own.”
― Karen Abbott, Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

tags: awesome, chicago, inspirational, whores

40 likes

“It is so delightful to be of enough consequence to be arrested,”
― Karen Abbott, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War

13 likes

“An amusing city, Chicago, any way you look at it. I'm afraid we are in for the time of our lives.”
― Karen Abbott, Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

8 likes

See all Karen Abbott's quotes »

Polls

Which book would you like to read for our July 1 - August 1 History group read?

London by Edward Rutherfurd

9 votes, 23.7%

Sarum: The Novel of England by Edward Rutherfurd

9 votes, 23.7%

Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott

7 votes, 18.4%

The Floating Book: A Novel of Venice by Michelle Lovric

7 votes, 18.4%

New York by Edward Rutherfurd

3 votes, 7.9%

London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

3 votes, 7.9%

38 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
European Royalty: July 1 - August 1: Nominating	12	29	May 23, 2010 05:54PM
The Seasonal Read...: 30.3 - Sheila's Task - An Ode To Illinois	60	219	Jul 18, 2010 05:31PM
Book Nook Cafe: What I read in November 2010	83	65	Jan 07, 2011 02:05PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS)	2614	899	Aug 31, 2011 09:18PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011: Reading Plans	52	323	Oct 25, 2011 08:07PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Reading Plans	44	331	Jan 17, 2012 08:52PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2866	790	Feb 29, 2012 09:03PM
Reading with Style: Summer 2012 Rws Completed Tasks	975	196	Aug 31, 2012 09:01PM