It’s the summer of 1879, and Annie Fuller, a young San Francisco widow, is in trouble. Annie’s husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt.
Annie Fuller also has a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San … of San Francisco’s most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl’s clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe his death was suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen.
Nate Dawson has a problem. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to believe that Matthew Voss didn’t leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior.
Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted, cozy historical mystery set in the foggy gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco.
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Great for historical mystery fans!
Predictable but a quick read.
I like the independance of the woman who found her own way to make a living in a man’s world.
Really enjoyed the plot and suspense
Not very original & a little hard to finish.
A bit too Pride and Prejudice
I loved the main character and her determination to be an independent woman in an era that tried to force women into continuous dependence, The mystery aspect was fairly well developed. Overall, the book made for excellent light reading with an entertaining lead character.
This is an easy read with a light predicable mystery that is solved by story’s protagonist. I’d recommend this book to women that would like a nice short read and can use an entertaining distraction, that is not too deep.
What WONDERFUL read — delightful!!
Somewhat interesting characters, but I became bored with the wordy story finding myself skiping and skimming chapters to get through to the end to discover the final plot.
I found it a bit slow. The end moved along, but I found myself skimming the beginning.
It was an interesting read. It gave you a look at what life was like back then; challenges, perceptions.
Great story, romantic mystery. Louisa Locke is a great author.
Really enjoyed this story! Great lead character. Fun book to read.
Awesome Such A Good Book
For those who enjoy Agatha Christie books.
The scene at the end of the book is delightful. I enjoyed this and would be interested in reading other books by the same author,
I actually began to enjoy this book because I grew up in Los Altos, CA. and love to learn older CA history. It turned out to be a fun book.
Seems like a simple story but evolves into a nice mystery. I love the setting as well back in CA gold rush days and the days that followed.
I enjoyed the twist that a woman was capable of recommending Stocks to early San Francisco males, but to do it, she had to masquerade.