Victorian San Francisco Mystery Short Stories/Novellas
In the fall of 1879, San Francisco swelters under a heat wave while Barbara Hewitt, a reserved school-teacher, uncovers a mystery with the help of her son’s dog, the Boston Terrier, Dandy. This short story, which comes chronologically after Maids of Misfortune , is set in the 19th century, gas-lit world of Annie Fuller and her O’Farrell Street boarding house, which Locke writes about in her Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.
This short story, set in 1879 San Francisco, features two elderly dressmakers, Miss Minnie and Miss Millie Moffet, who face a moral dilemma of no small dimensions. They turn for advice to Annie Fuller, a widowed boardinghouse owner who supplements her income as a clairvoyant, Madam Sibyl. For those who have read Locke's any of her Victorian San Francisco mysteries, this story is set after Maids of Misfortune and before Uneasy Spirits and is an amusing glimpse into the lives of Annie Fuller's two most eccentric boarders. For those unfamiliar with Locke's mysteries and the late 19th century world they portray, this is just a taste of things to come.
This is a collection of four short stories from the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. Madam Sibyl’s First Client was written specifically for this collection and it finds Annie Fuller, the young widowed boarding house keeper, just starting her career as a pretend clairvoyant. In Dandy Detects, the Boston terrier that lives in Annie Fuller’s boarding house helps uncover a crime, and in The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage, two elderly boarders use their dressmaking skills to avert a domestic tragedy. Finally, in Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong, a Chinese manservant from the first mystery in the series, Maids of Misfortune, makes another appearance and helps Annie Fuller solve a serious problem. As a bonus, there is an essay, Historical Tidbits, which provides insight into the historical research that went into these stories. This collection can be read as an introduction or a companion to the first three books in the series, Maids of Misfortune, Uneasy Spirits, and Bloody Lessons, permitting some of the most beloved minor characters to have some fun by taking center stage.Go to www.mlouisalocke.com to learn more about M. Louisa Locke and the world of Victorian San Francisco that she has created.
Annie Fuller, the young boarding house keeper and reluctant clairvoyant, met the kind, older Chinese servant, Mr. Wong, in the midst of her investigations into a mysterious death in Maids of Misfortune , the first book in Locke’s Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. In this short story, Annie Fuller turns to Mr. Wong for help in solving a puzzle that could have life or death consequences. Like Locke’s other short stories in this series, Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong offers a glimpse into what life was like in late 19th century San Francisco.
In this short story, the young widow, Annie Fuller, is meeting her first client as the pretend clairvoyant, Madam Sibyl. If she can’t convince this man that she can make money for him with her financial advice, she doesn’t know how she will be able to hold onto her O’Farrell Street boarding house and her precious independence. Madam Sibyl’s First Client is the prequel to Maids of Misfortune , the first book in Locke’s Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.
In this historical history novella set in August of 1880, Annie and Nate Dawson’s trip down the San Francisco peninsula to San Jose was supposed to be a pleasant romantic interlude and a chance for Annie to get to know Nate’s family better. When the visit takes a serious turn, Annie races to expose a criminal who could ruin a young man’s life, getting help from an unexpected quarter. The events in Violet Vanquishes a Villain come right after Deadly Proof , the fourth book in Locke’s USA Today bestselling cozy Victorian San Francisco mystery series.
As 1880 comes to a close, the O'Farrell Street boardinghouse servant, Kathleen Hennessey, expects to spend a quiet week while her employers, amateur sleuths Annie and Nate Dawson, are off spending the Christmas holidays with Nate's family. However, when she agrees to help out one of her friends, Kathleen discovers that a simple case of a servant being dismissed without notice has turned into a complicated and dangerous puzzle that she is determined to solve. While featuring minor characters from Locke's USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco mystery series, Kathleen Catches a Killer contains all the light romance, humor, and suspense of the longer works. Chronologically, this novella comes right after the events in Pilfered Promises, but it can be read as a stand-alone and an excellent introduction to this mystery series about the gas-lit world of the late 19th century.
It’s January 1881, and while the grown-ups in Annie and Nate Dawson’s San Francisco O’Farrell Street boardinghouse are busy with their own affairs, two boys and a dog find their own adventure. Ian Hennessey, a poor boy from South of Market, who is trying to shoulder a man’s responsibilities, gets in trouble, and his best friend, Jamie Hewitt, does what he can to help. But it is Jamie’s young Boston Terrier, Dandy, who saves the day. This short novella comes right after the events in Pilfered Promises and Kathleen Catches a Killer, however, as a stand alone, it can act as an introduction to the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series by USA Today bestselling author, M. Louisa Locke.
Beatrice O’Rourke, the O'Farrell Street boardinghouse cook, has the afternoon off. What could possibly go wrong? This short story in the USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series features one of the most beloved characters in the series, as well as giving the reader a tour of the boardinghouse itself. Chronologically, this story come soon after the events in Scholarly Pursuits and before Lethal Remedies .
Something odd is happening at the O’Farrell Street boardinghouse, and Annie is worried that her new baby might be in danger. But never fear, Dandy, the Boston Terrier, will discover the culprit and all will be well. Dandy’s Discovery is a short story in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, and it comes right after Beatrice Bests the Burglars .
Life in 1881 San Francisco is difficult if you are a poor widow like Mrs. O’Malley, especially when you have seven children and are forced to live in one of the crowded neighborhoods South of Market. Late one night, as she sat at the window of her crowded flat, sewing and worrying, she noticed something strange going on across the street. Her decision to investigate will have unexpected consequences. Mrs. O’Malley’s Midnight Mystery is a short story in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, and it comes right after the short story, Dandy’s Discovery , and before Lethal Remedies , the seventh novel in the series.
December 1881, San Francisco : Tilly, the young O’Farrell Street boardinghouse servant, is determined to discover who’s stealing from houses in the neighborhood before the thefts ruin the holidays for everyone. This short story in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series comes after the short story Mrs. O’Malley’s Midnight Mystery and right before Lethal Remedies , the seventh novel in the series.
Esther and Herman Stein were the first people to move into Annie Dawson’s San Francisco O’Farrell Street boardinghouse and are two of Annie biggest supporters. Yet, Esther has always disapproved of how Annie’s work, first as Madam Sibyl and now as a financial advisor, has led her into criminal investigations. All this will change when Esther is confronted with a crime of her own to solve. Chronologically, this novella comes in the summer of 1882, soon after the events in Entangled Threads, the eighth novel in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. However, it doesn’t need to be read in that order. As with the other shorter works in this series, Mrs. Stein Solves a Crime gives a minor character the chance to play a starring role.
It is the fall of 1882, and dogs are disappearing from the streets of San Francisco at an alarming rate. Could they be victims of an over-zealous pound keeper or are they being stolen and then returned for a hefty ransom? Once more, the intrepid Boston Terrier Dandy and his young friends are on the case. The events in this novella come immediately after the events in Mrs. Stein Solves a Crime: A Victorian San Francisco Novella.