First Place Winner of the 2018 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Historical Mystery Award and fourth book in the USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.It’s the summer of 1880, and once again the lovely and inquisitive businesswoman, Annie Fuller, is helping San Francisco lawyer and fiancé, Nate Dawson, with a troublesome case. Nate’s client, a female typesetter accused of … accused of murdering her boss, refuses to help in her own defense. Complicating matters, Nate’s sister Laura insists on getting involved in the potentially dangerous investigation, while Laura’s friend Seth Timmons, troubled Civil War veteran, finds himself a witness for the prosecution.
Will Nate be able to win his first big case? Will Laura and Seth find some way of remaining friends? And finally, will Annie and Nate’s upcoming nuptials be derailed by their attempts to track down a killer?
Old friends and new readers alike will enjoy Deadly Proof, this fourth installment of the cozy, historical mystery series that blends light-hearted romance and suspense, while examining the lives of late 19th century women who worked in the printing trades. Deadly Proof is followed by Pilfered Promises, and Locke’s shorter works, found in Victorian San Francisco Stories and Victorian San Francisco Novellas, feature minor characters from the series.
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Good read for sense of place in Victorian San Francisco but disappointing in the
S-L-O-W pace
Set in a very different era than we live in now, the details bring you right into the novel, and let you really get to know the characters and help you understand the culture of that time period. Had to stay up and finish it… couldn’t put it down.
Too many extraneous characters .
As I start the fourth novel in this series, I find that as Annie Fuller grows as a person, develops as a character, the books are starting to take on a bit more of an edge. There is still an emphasis on decorum congruent with Victorian morals and customs, but there is less beating around the bush when talking about difficult subjects.
Dr. Locke is exceptionally good at describing the San Francisco of the late 19th century, along with the fashions of the day. I have a fairly good mental image of what clothing looked like back then, but I do sometimes find myself wishing that the books had illustrations so I would know for sure how a polonaise differs from a long basque bodice.
Perhaps one of the most telling lines in the book is “If you want the freedom to pursue a career, have friends of both sexes, determine your own fate, you can’t let outmoded ideas of womanly behavior guide you.” — Iris Bailor to Laura Dawson. This sentiment, expressed in 1880, still holds merit today in 2018. The ongoing struggle of the Women’s Movement started a long, long time ago, and the idea that women have come a long way still doesn’t hold water. This is most especially true in the United States.
Diehard feminists might have a problem with some of the underlying subject matter, but reading about how women were regarded then is important to make the point that nearly 140 years later women are still struggling for much the same things.
M. Louisa Locke’s Victorian San Francisco mysteries are a pleasure to read as they convey things about American history that may have gotten lost, or at the very least not been given their due.
The twists and turns of intrigue. Very satisfying.
Nice characters, a fun read.
I like her writings. Enjoyed the characters and history of the time.
I’ve read 3 of her San Francisco Victorian mystery books. And every one of them were fun, witty, and a pleasure to read.
Been following this series enjoying so far
I love the tidbits from the San Francisco newspapers of the period.
Always enjoy this author’s books because they allow a glimpse into another time and place. Especially enjoyed this one because of my interest in the old way of printing newspapers. Her characters are always believable and interesting.
I loved the Louisa Locke Series. I couldn’t wait to get to the next book to see what happened next. Edge of the seat, page turner, murder, mystery, romance, historical all rolled into one!
Boring read. Everyone is so “proper” I fell alsleep while reading.
I liked the first book and read the second book but didn’t finishis the series. It was good but I seemed to tire of it.
What a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Not normally a fan of whodunit’s, this was a great read.
I really enjoyed this historical fiction. Great read.
Enjoyable, good page turner.
Another great book by Ms Locke!
Brings the 1800’s to life with accurate description of life in the post civil war era.
This is a fun series. Good stories with good characters. A fun view of that period in History.