M. Louisa Locke

I loved Between Mountain and Sea, and really didn’t want to leave the characters behind. Fortunately it’s the first of a sci-fi series that’s part of the Paradisi Chronicles, an intriguing multi-author project about 10 extended families who exit our devastated home world to set up colonies in New Eden, an Earth-like planet that already has native hominids. These original people are an interesting human variation, and several of them play important roles in the novel.

M. Louisa Locke, show more author of the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series that starts with Maids of Misfortune, is here telling the story of the Yu family, who have their roots in China. Mabel Yu was one of the original settlers and traveled from Earth as a young teenager. About 150 years later Mei Lin Yu, Mabel’s descendant, discovers Mabel’s diary, a fascinating document that tells the real history of the colony, not what Mei Lin has been taught at school. These new insights help Mei Lin question the path that’s been laid out for her, one that doesn’t suit her at all. Though Mei Lin is YA age, romance plays almost no role in the action--it’s more a coming of age book. As indicated by the title, the setting is vivid and wild, and while parts of the plot were a little predictable, I was so caught up in the world and the lives of the characters that I didn’t care. show less

This was a lot of fun. Of course I'm always as interested in the human factor of a story (and, yes, the romance) as I am about the technical details involved in a crime. The book is filled with an entire cast of interesting characters from the kindly Chinese valet, to the surprisingly spirited widow who pretends frailty but who is actually quite cunning. As with the best mysteries, I could not figure out whodunnit until the end, and I think a sense of unpredictability in a mystery is key. show more I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. show less

Everything about this book was charming. I read it a while back but found the audiobook on sale recently, so it gave me the excuse I needed to reread it.

Annie Fuller, a trained financier who can find no work since she's not a man, masquerades as a fortune teller in order to earn an income. Unfortunately, near the beginning of the story, one of her favorite clients is found dead and she believes it's murder. Along with a lawyer who initially mistakes her boarding house as a brothel, Annie show more goes undercover to track down the suspect. And what a character Annie is. She is quite forward for her time, insisting on doing things her way and getting into plenty of scraps, but also getting herself out of those scrapes without needing a man to rescue her. Regardless, the growing relationship between Annie and her lawyer friend is sweet. There is also a Chinese servant who is a constant reminder of the stereotypes of Chinese at that time. He, like Annie, stands out from the stereotypes in many ways. I can't wait to continue rereading or listening to this series. I had forgotten how fun these books are. show less

The writing is wonderfully evocative, detailed, and atmospheric, bringing 1870s San Francisco to life. Almost 5 stars, for me. I've become rather attached to the characters, now having read two of the series. One of the interesting details here is the young psychic character Maybelle, very damaged and reminiscent of someone with possible schizophrenia / multiple personality disorder. The very "slow burn" romance between Annie and Nate continues. The action ramps quite slowly at first, then show more with increasing pace in the last 1/3 of the book. After finishing, I started immediately on the next of the series, always a good sign that a book resonates. show less