Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl is the first episode in Season 1 of the Frankie Drake Mysteries series. It premiered on November 6, 2017.

It is the first of the 11 episodes Season 1 of this historical crime drama about the Drake Private Detectives, an only all-female detective agency, in Toronto, circa 1920s.

Plot Synopsis
After she becomes a suspect in a jewelry heist, Frankie is forced to partner with an unlikely ally.

Character Revelations

 * At Quon's in The Ward, Frankie undergoes cupping to help her quit smoking for good.
 * Mary Shaw's father was a patrolman.
 * Nora Amory is connected to Frankie Drake's past...she is Frankie's not-so-dead mother.

Historical References

 * Cupping is an ancient Oriental treatment for congestion of the lungs and other aliments. It involves a heated cup placed on the skin to create a partial vacuum, drawing up the underlying tissues. After a few moments, the blood is drawn to the surface of the skin.
 * After the war, Ernest Hemingway returned home in 1919. A family friend offered him a job in Toronto. He began as a freelancer, staff writer, and foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star Weekly. When he returned to Michigan the following summer and then to Chicago in September 1920, while still filing stories for the Toronto Star.
 * Howard Carter (1874-1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who became world-famous after discovering the tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh, Tutankhamun in 1922.

Trivia

 * In Season 7 of Murdoch Mysteries, Wendy Crewson plays real life con artist Cassie Chadwick, a favorite guest performance of Murdoch Mysteries Fandom.

Main Cast
Lauren Lee Smith as Frankie Drake

Chantel Riley as Trudy Clarke

Rebecca Liddiard as Mary Shaw

Sharron Matthews as Flo

Recurring Cast
Steve Lund as Ernest Hemingway

Guest Cast
Wendy Crewson as Nora Amory

Derek McGrath as Abraham Amory

Sean Sullivan as Morris Flynn

Eugene Clark as Jack Porter

Robert Clarke as Crosby

Bo Martin as Secretary

Sai Yin Cheung as Elderly Chinese Cupper