Fair Game

She's young. She's beautiful. She's innocent. She's completely unprepared for the streets of lower-end Chicago in 1893. Dinah Mayhew arrives in the big city, having taken a job within the offices of the World's Fair. She's seeking excitement and the father who disappeared from her life years earlier. Dinah finds all that - and more, in the person of Seth Howell, a handsome and dedicated young minister. To her own surprise, Dinah finds herself involved in Seth's ministry to the lower class of the city, and their relationship soon becomes more than either of them expected. But then Dinah's obnoxious cousin Gladys arrives in town, and promptly gets involved with a dangerous con man. When she disappears, Seth and Dinah find themselves in the role of reluctant sleuths, attempting to save the girl from death ... or worse. Carol Cox's Fair Game is a wonderful peek into the inner workings of the historical World's Fair. I came into "A Fair to Remember" one book behind, and found many delightful little nuggets of faith, a generous helping of intrigue, two heart's worth of love - and a novel full of tightly written prose and skillfully woven story line. If Book Two is any indication, I don't want to miss the rest of this series.

Fair Game by Carol Cox is a great follow-up to Ticket to Tomorrow, the first in this excellent series. The author skillfully draws her readers back into the days of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, firmly establishing them in the world of Dinah Mayhew and her handsome and charming evangelist friend, Seth Howell, while also plunking them down in the seedy underworld of forced prostitution, kidnapping, and even murder. A great read with a skillful twist!

World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois, attracts the attention of Dinah Mayhew, who lives in Nebraska. Dinah has lived with her Uncle Everett, Aunt Dora, and cousin Gladys ever since her mother has died and her father had left. Through the invitation of her father, who is employed by the fair, Dinah seeks employment, and also so she can be reunited with her father. Dinah stays at Mrs. Purvis' boarding house, and on her first night there, she is invited to attend a tent revival. They both attend the revival and Dinah feels the calling of God to help with the area's young girls. She signs up with Rev. Seth Howell to teach them Bible stories and how to be a Christian, no matter their circumstances. Rev. Seth Howell is not sure Dinah Mayhew can handle a group of lower-class girls, but through his teachings he finds he was mistaken about her. As the work closely together, not only do they bond through friendship but through love, too. Things go good for Dinah until her cousin Gladys shows up. Gladys becomes a burden to Dinah when she mysteriously disappears and her beau isn't who he says he is. Not only is Gladys missing but also one of Dinah's young girls. As Seth and Dinah solve the mystery of Gladys and Marsha's disappearance, they become closer to discovering the truth about themselves as well as each other. Dinah also finds out the truth of why her father left her with her uncle and aunt, and why he desperately wanted to reunite with her. Things do not go according to Dinah's plans and she must learn to cope with who her father really is, and that she can go through life as she did before, without him. Author Cox can weave more webs than a spider can keep up. Each character has his or her own exciting adventure and the reader enjoys the quirks of each one. Armchair Interviews says: Although this is a sequel to Ticket for Tomorrow, it's a stand-alone book.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (5/07) After Dinah Mayhew's mother dies, her father drops her off at her aunt and uncle's. There she suffers feelings of abandonment and abuse at the hands of her cousin Gladys. When she receives a letter from her father asking her to join him she heads to Chicago expecting to reunite with him. She rents a room from Mrs. Purvis, the owner of a boarding house. Mrs. Purvis considers herself quite a successful matchmaker. Just as Dinah and Mrs. Purvis are getting to know one another Seth Howell rings the doorbell. He is passing out flyers inviting people to a church service. Dinah is immediately struck by his good looks. Both she and Mrs. Purvis attend the service. Upon hearing the need for a woman to teach a Bible class for girls, Dinah volunteers. At first the girls are skeptical, but they come to realize that Dinah does care about them. Seth is impressed with her love for the Lord. He soon realizes that she is the helpmate she's been praying for. Dinah writes home to her aunt and uncle telling them the wonders of the World's Fair, where she is working. Gladys is intrigued by her letters which help her to talk her parents into allowing her to come to Chicago to get a job. She meets a man that is kidnapping young women and selling them. Gladys' willful actions not only endanger her, but also place Dinah at risk. "Fair Game" by Carol Cox is a delightful, sweet, love story. The plot is interesting and filled with tidbits of history. I felt as though I were being led into another era. I can only imagine the awe the 1893 visitors' felt when they walked the grounds of the World's Fair. It is rare to find a woman like Dinah today. Her character is refreshingly naive and unsoiled. Seth was strong and yet gentle. Ms. Cox successfully presents love and romance in the manner where it holds true meaning. I enjoyed this book and intend to look for more tales by Carol Cox. Fans of light suspense and Christian romance will enjoy this book.

Dinah Mayhew never realized life in the big city could be so interesting. She's come to Chicago to work at the World's Columbian Exposition, and she's never seen so many people in her life, all of them in a hurry. She has a nice place to live, an agreeable landlady, and has just met Seth Howell, a very handsoem man. Life is good. But there's a darker side to Chicago. Young women are disappearing off the streets, never to be seen again. When Gladys, Dinah's disagreeable cousin disappears, she feels she owes her aunt and uncle something for raising her. Dinah sets out to solve the mystery. Soon she and Seth are tangled in an underground web of evil. Can they find the missing women without losing their own lives? Carol Cox makes the Columbia Exposition come alive. Her characters are strong and memorable, and Fair Game is an exciting blend of history, suspense, and romance. every bit as good as her Ticket to Tomorrow.