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_fanny_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Mediocre (what a marvelous word!) book. The author was banging on social issues that were -true- critical in the 1880s, but with a very 21st century voice and mode of expression. I came away feeling like someone needs to show the author that a woman can be strong without disliking men or marriage.
appalonia's review against another edition
3.0
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.
henrismum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
First in series
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I think I became aware of this series years ago, but finally decided to transfer it to my main list in mid-November.
Will I read more of the series?Probably Not Maybe Likely Most Likely Definitely I enjoyed meeting the character of Sarah. The book has some uncomfortable scenes, but the story was good.
The narrator was Anna Fields. She reminds me of other narrators, but I'm unsure who. Possibly I have listened to her before and just don't recall. She is likeable.
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I think I became aware of this series years ago, but finally decided to transfer it to my main list in mid-November.
Will I read more of the series?
The narrator was Anna Fields. She reminds me of other narrators, but I'm unsure who. Possibly I have listened to her before and just don't recall. She is likeable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Trafficking, Sexism, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, and Pedophilia
Minor: Drug use, Gore, and Abortion
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting mystery series set in San Francisco in the late 1800's. Loved the setting. Guessed who the killer was halfway through, but it was satisfying reading as everything unfolded.
robinwalter's review against another edition
clunky, awkward writing, life's too short and my TBR is too long
cmbohn's review against another edition
1.0
I don't want to be too mean with my review, but this book was bad.
Sarah Woolson lives in San Francisco in 1880 and she has just passed the bar exam. Too bad no one wants to hire her, but women are too emotional and illogical to practice law, right? Well, I don't buy that one, but Sarah IS pretty silly. She is such a crusader for women's rights and she doesn't think ahead much. She has completely modern views on politics, marriage, and romance.
And besides that, the book itself was too predictable. I picked out the murderer on page 10 and the love interest on page 12 or 13. It's the sort of book where the MC has a client who is completely innocent, investigates the scene of the crime and finds all kinds of clues the police missed, meets Chinese warlords, visits a brothel, an opium den, and a place where Satanic rituals involving bizarre sexual rites takes place. Seriously, what's left for the next book in the series? She's already done everything!
My favorite line from the book (and one that tells you exactly what kind of book it is):
"With a shock, I realized my assailant was Chinese!"
You may enjoy it anyway, if you view it as pure escapist fare that doesn't have to make any sense, just be packed with adventure. But if you want more, you will be disappointed.
Sarah Woolson lives in San Francisco in 1880 and she has just passed the bar exam. Too bad no one wants to hire her, but women are too emotional and illogical to practice law, right? Well, I don't buy that one, but Sarah IS pretty silly. She is such a crusader for women's rights and she doesn't think ahead much. She has completely modern views on politics, marriage, and romance.
And besides that, the book itself was too predictable. I picked out the murderer on page 10 and the love interest on page 12 or 13. It's the sort of book where the MC has a client who is completely innocent, investigates the scene of the crime and finds all kinds of clues the police missed, meets Chinese warlords, visits a brothel, an opium den, and a place where Satanic rituals involving bizarre sexual rites takes place. Seriously, what's left for the next book in the series? She's already done everything!
My favorite line from the book (and one that tells you exactly what kind of book it is):
"With a shock, I realized my assailant was Chinese!"
You may enjoy it anyway, if you view it as pure escapist fare that doesn't have to make any sense, just be packed with adventure. But if you want more, you will be disappointed.
luffy79's review against another edition
5.0
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 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.
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 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.
jsant's review against another edition
5.0
Short book, but I really liked our. Strong lead character, fighting against stereotypes of her time. Solving mysteries and running down leads. I'll have to read the next one in the series. Hopefully it's as good!
bethh609's review against another edition
3.0
The story was good, but I think the reader of this audio version was less than ideal; I frequently found myself thinking about the narrator rather than the actual story. Still, I enjoyed it enough to download the next tale of Sarah Wooleson (sp).