The Widow's Manuscript: A Regency M**der Mystery Bookstore Crawl

Schedule

Fri Oct 23 2026 at 10:00 am to 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00
Location

Goblin Market | Chicago, IL

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Solve a 200-year-old M**der and literary mystery by investigating clues at six Chicago indie bookstores!
About this Event

The mystery:

In 1816, Earl Cyril Blackwood was murdered in his own library. Twenty years later, his widow—acclaimed mystery novelist Lady Amelia Blackwood—died under similarly violent and mysterious circumstances in the same library. For nearly two hundred years the questions of who murdered the Blackwoods and what became of the manuscript of Lady Blackwood's final, unpublished novel have haunted the literary world.
The contents of Lady Blackwood's library, until now held in a private collection, have recently gone to auction and many of those dusty old volumes have ended up at bookstores throughout the city. Are you up to the challenge of tracking them down and using the clues hidden inside to determine who killed the Blackwoods and finally solve the mystery of The Widow's Manuscript?



Investigating the murders:

From October 23rd to November 1st, visit the six participating bookstores in any order. At each one, you'll uncover clues and piece together the story of the Blackwoods and the suspicious characters in their inner circle.

Participating stores ():

Goblin Market – 2868 N. Lincoln Ave.
Lilliput Books – 2150 N. Halsted St.
Partners in Crime Bookshop – 4105 N. Lincoln Ave.
Passages Wine & Books – 1911 W. Chicago Ave.
Skunk Cabbage Books – 2826 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Uncharted Books – 3632 N. Western Ave.

Select your starting store when you purchase your ticket. When you arrive, show your ticket to a bookseller and you'll receive a packet with clues and suspects. You'll investigate a suspect at each stop, in any order, so you can solve the mystery in a day or stretch it out over the whole week.



What you'll get:

A bookish adventure that spans 6 independent bookstores.

$5 store credit at each stop. Solve the clue and show it at checkout to redeem. One use per store, valid during the event only.

A commemorative sticker and postcard when you solve the case.

Sleuths who visit every participating store and solve all the mysteries will be entered into a raffle to win swag from all six stores!

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Where is it happening?

Goblin Market, 2868 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 32.49

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Goblin Market
Host or PublisherGoblin Market

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