October 29, 2012
Fans of Steve Hockensmith’s Holmes on the Range historicals will welcome this Carpenter and Quincannon novel, billed as the first in a new series from husband-and-wife MWA Grand Masters Muller and Pronzini (Beyond the Grave). In 1891, Sabina Carpenter, one of the original Pinkerton female operatives, the Pink Roses, moved to San Francisco to join former Secret Service agent John Quincannon in establishing the city’s “premier investigative agency.” In 1894, two simultaneous cases preoccupy the pair: a pickpocket is targeting the patrons of the Haight Street Chutes Amusement Park, and six policyholders of the Great Western insurance company have been burglarized. Meanwhile, Quincannon is bemused by press reports that Sherlock Holmes has survived his supposed death and has taken up residence in San Francisco, until the claimant to the master detective’s mantle becomes an unexpected rival. A doubly impossible crime only adds to the enjoyable plot. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary.
January 1, 2013
Victorian-era San Francisco-based Pinkerton detectives Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon have their hands full with two parallel cases that soon converge. Her pickpocket case escalates into a murder investigation, as does his home burglary probe. On top of all that, a visitor claiming to be Sherlock Holmes just has to meddle and complicate Quincannon's life. VERDICT Of course you'll order multiples; we're talking Muller and Pronzini here! The locked-room dilemma is familiar territory for Pronzini, and this series launch is sure to delight his readers in particular. The easy and amusing read flows beautifully. Occasionally, the very symmetrical structure of male and female protagonists, victims, and criminals is a stretch, but the authors' gift for dialog and good storytelling propels us through any historical posturing. A treat for Rhys Bowen and Laurie R. King readers [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/12.]
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 15, 2012
Both past Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters, Muller and Pronzini combine forces for a historical mystery set in the San Francisco of 1894. John Quincannon, a former Secret Service agent, and Sabina Carpenter, a former Pinkerton operative, have a successful detective agency in San Francisco. Sabina is searching for a pickpocket who preys on visitors at the Chutes Amusement Park and other crowded areas of the city. Quincannon is after a burglar who breaks into the homes of the wealthy. His search takes him to the bars and bawdy houses of the Barbary Coast and the boat of an oyster pirate. A strange man claiming to be Sherlock Holmes keeps offering his less-than-welcome assistance. Fans of Muller's Sharon McCone series and Pronzini's Nameless Detective novels will enjoy this trip to San Francisco in an earlier era. Those who enjoy historical mysteries are in for a particular treat with this delightful story featuring two intrepid detectives who solve their cases using different but equally effective methods.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)