Murder on Nob Hill

Murder on Nob Hill by Shirley Tallman explores class, inequality, greed, and hypocrisy in Victorian San Francisco. When Sarah Woolson convinces a law firm that thinks women shouldn't be practicing law to hire her, she lands in the middle of a murder case her superiors are determined to push aside assuming the worst about the main suspects in the case. As Sarah, in an attempt to best represent her client, uncovers secrets her upper class society would rather not disclosed, she finds herself not only battling for her right to practice law but her life. Tallman creates characters that at once inspire and infuriate in a story that reminds the reader disclosed secrets are often blamed for destroying lives when, in fact, it is the action of show more doing things one feels the need to hide that destroys lives. Murder on Nob Hill examines the dangers of inequality fueled by greed and self-righteousness. show less

Finds often are rare, and this book belongs to that group. I've rarely, if ever, derived so much from so obscure a book. The last time was the Pizza Lovers' Mysteries. That's what I like about cozy mysteries. They contain more finds than any other genre. There's not as many obscure but delightful books in other genres, like Sci Fi, Horror, Young Adult, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Thrillers, etc. The cozy mystery genre has logically and unhesitatingly become my number one genre.

Sarah Woolson faces a can of worm's worth of prejudice, ignorance, bigotry and stupidity in her struggles for being accepted in the labor force as a bona fide lawyer. She displays a cool demeanor whose limits, when they are tested, expand further on as the show more story progresses. Her environment is volatile and stressful. The vitriolic behavior from so called rational men is nauseating. Now I know what type of gutsy females it took to give the world women's suffrage(this book is placed in the 1880's, prior to that breakthrough).

Amid all that there is the plot (a story with a very good pacing, involving three major murders that never sway away from this reader's attention) which is well written in the kind of language I revel in. The prose is usually the deciding point for me between liking a book and loving it. I'm also of the opinion that the scarcity of lyricism and economy of distractions heighten the value I place on this book. If J.D Robb's books are too hot and Mills and Boons books are too cold, then Shirley Tallman should be congratulated for writing a book which is just right for me. show less

It took me a while to get into the story, but on the whole it was an interesting glimpse of San Francisco in the 1880s as well as of the state of women's rights at the time.

Sarah Woolson is a lawyer and thanks to her family connections and her own nerve and intelligence she will be able to practice and have many opportunities to unravel mysteries for her clients.

I have never read Shirley Tallman or any of her books written under the pseudonym Erin Ross. I enjoyed this excursion into San Francisco history of the 1880's. Almost 99% of the facts presented by Tallman are actual events and individuals of California history, with the exception of the Golden Gate Bridge that was not started until 1933 and finished in 1937. As many reviewers have mentioned, all the historical data is not relevant to the plot development. Tallman almost mentions the plight of the Chinese, who were brought to California to complete the railroad, and their difficult existence. I did feel that Sarah Woolson ignores the restrictions of Society and I feel that these diversions would not be tolerated. What an exciting time show more for California: the Gold Rush had ended and given a few men wealth, the railroad tied the East and the West and created fortunes, plus the Otis elevator went into operation, and the street cars started their operation in San Francisco. show less

On another librarian's recommendation, I bought this book and the Russian Hill Murders on audio. I enjoyed the stories, but my favorite part was hearing about San Francisco of the past. It was great to hear about streets with which I am familiar and try to imagine which parts may still be standing (probably none due to the fire in 1906). It was also nice to hear about what was in the neighborhoods south of Market way back when. In the first book a woman and her lover are falsely accused of murdering her husband. Secrets and intrigue follow through a web of power, money and women's liberation. The heroine is a female attorney who is hired on at law firm whose managing partner thinks he has been suckered into hiring a woman.

This was a quick, easy read. The first in a series of books featuring a female attorney struggling for the right to practice law among misogynistic male attorneys. This was an enjoyable read, but the characters felt a little flat to me. The ebook I read was poorly formatted, so that may have influenced me. An enjoyable historical mystery but I'm not sure if I will continue the remaining books.

late 19th century woman wants to become a lawyer. all the obstacles placed in her way and despite it becomes good at solving mysteries. great writing. young lady has a lot of spirit. funny, lots of historical