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Description
To tourists, bay-windowed Victorian mansions are quaint, peaceful symbols of old San Francisco, but on the secluded hill above Steiner Street, the gingerbread has sparked a bitter battle. Ambitious developers are pushing for restoration and residents are fighting for their homes...until a controversial restorationist is found dead on the job, awash in garish housepaint. Private investigator Sharon McCone is called in only to discover a second bitter feud, this time between the developers and show more members of the city's powerful architectural community. As workmen rip through layers of sheetrock, plaster, and wallpaper, McCone unearths another, older crime: a cache of stolen antiques comes to light; and a missing one-of-a-kind Tiffany lamp emblazoned with the glowing profile of the Cheshire Cat becomes McCone's most important clue. To catch a killer, she must follow its eerie, knowing grin before its hidden eye foresees a fatal future. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Pretty good story. As one of the early McCone series, it's interesting to see how the character developed over time. HOWEVER, a 30+ year old book doesn't always age well. And that's the case with this one. What was perfectly acceptable in the 80's comes across as really insensitive and racist in 2019. It's really a shame because it detracted from an otherwise strong story.
The murder of a master house painter and colorist in circumstances made to look like an accident takes Sharon McCone into the world of historic preservation and restoration. The most interesting thing about this novel is the custom-made Tiffany lamp which turns out to be a clue. I didn't find Sharon McCone a particularly engaging character and she carried on in a manner that no private investigator would. Story was confusing; didn't much care for the characters.
Sharon McCone, murder in restored Victorian leads to earlier murder, Tiffany lamp of Ches. cat the clue.
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Author Information
116+ Works 14,322 Members
Marcia Muller, novelist, short-story writer and anthologist, was born in Detroit in 1944. She attended the University of Michigan, where she studied writing. Edwin of the Iron Shoes (1977) was her first book featuring Sharon McCone, a female private eye strong enough to compete in the male-dominated crime genre. In 1993, Muller was given the show more Private Eye Writers of America Life Achievement Award, and the following year her novel Wolf in the Shadows won the Anthony Boucher Award and was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Crime Novel. Muller is the co-author of the Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery series with Bill Pronzini. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The Cheshire Cat's Eye
- Original publication date
- 1983
- People/Characters
- Sharon McCone; Greg Marcus; Hank Zahn; Jake Kaufman; Johnny Hart; David Wintringham (show all 13); Larry French; Eleanor van Dyne; Charmaine; Al "Prince Albert" Prince; Paul Collins; Nick Dettman; Charlie Cornish
- Important places
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Dedication
- For Bill Pronzini and one other individual, who shall remain Nameless
- First words
- The row of Victorian houses loomed dark in the early June fog.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I slipped my arm around Greg's waist as we started up the stairs.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 363
- Popularity
- 86,212
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.35)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 18
- ASINs
- 7
