Customer Reviews

Scandal on Rincon Hill: A Sarah Woolson Mystery (Sarah Woolson Mysteries)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
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I listened to the first 3 books and have just finished reading the fourth (which I hope will be available on Audible soon). If you like historical fiction/ mysteries you will enjoy these books. Unlike a previous reviewer I find the main character Sarah W. interesting and full of pluck. These stories are set in the 1880's 40 years before women won the right to vote and therefore, I find Shirley Tallman's male characters and their sexism and racism to be perfectly believable and Sarah's frustration with her society and the men who control it to be reasonable. The author has several important male characters who are neither sexist nor racist so she does not generalize about all men. It is clear that the author has done her research on the role of women in the 1880's and in the legal profession. It is hard to believe but some law schools such as Harvard did not admit women until the 1950's. The mysteries are good but I enjoy the books because of the characters. I think if you enjoy Elizabeth Peters you would also enjoy this series. I hope there will be many more books in this series and that the love story will become even more central and lead to further growth for the character of Sarah. Anna Fields was a great narrator and will be missed.

Mrs. Tallman has scored a total winner in her Scandal On Rincon Hill. Of course we are all familiar with the spinster Sarah Woolson who is an attorney and who has a heart and who is not above making up her own mind even if it could get her into trouble which should be her middle name.
When two deaths occur two from her home you know Sarah is going to get involved. When two innocent men are accused of the crime Sarah goes into action and agrees to defend them.
What she discovers and how she goes about it is exciting and keeps you so interested in the book you wont be able to put it down. If you have not read her others this will make you a fan to get out and read the other three books Mrs. Tallman has written about Sarah.
Sarah in love???? Lots of unexpected surprises in this book but by far the biggest is the actual killer. A MUST READ.

The fourth book in the Sarah Woolson series is an entertaining read. Like any relationship, after the first whirlwind romance, the blush and shine on the partnership begins to fade, and things hit a lull. It is this first bump that makes or breaks the relationship: either it will find a second wind and bloom again, or it will be a bust. WIth Tallman it is still early to tell how the Sarah Woolson series will go, but things look encouraging.

I am a fan of Sarah Woolson - I like the idea of a strong, independent woman as protagonist. I love Tallman's descriptions of San Francisco (a world-class city, all the more so with her descriptions of it in the late 19th century) and the mysteries themselves are pretty good. In _Scandal on Rincon Hill_, Woolson represents a young lady who was a mistress of a powerful and influential newspaper owner (allusions to Hearst?) who seeks restitution, and two wrongly imprisioned Chinese immigrants accused of several grisly murders. The plot was entertaining, if not particularly page-turning, its resolution a bit anti-climactic. What really rankled me was the liberal use of exclaimation in Woolson's dialogue - a personal preference, I guess, but I found it a bit exasperating.

These misgivings aside, I remain a fan of Tallman's work and will certainly follow the series as it continues. There are clear attempts to grow the main charactersand develop them more - both romantically (Sarah has several beaus in pursuit of her, much to her chagrin) as well as professionally. I found this encouraging, as its evident that Tallman is not willing to rehash old plot lines and let the characters go stale. While its not as strong or interesting as the previous books in the series, I will return for more.

I have loved this entire series and the latest edition, Scandal on Rincon Hill, did not disappoint!

Shirley Tallman has penned the fourth in her Sarah Woolson series and each book quality exceeds the last. The writing establishes the criteria of excellence but her characters are without match.

Placing the setting in Victorian era San Francisco is refreshingly new. Writing the heroine as a "modern day woman" is pure genius. Sarah is a practicing attorney, gutsy lady (being a lady is her family heritage) who knows no bounds of geography or culture. She easily visits the head of the Chinese community as well as calls upon a renown madam.In the meantime, she joins her family as they entertain prestigious guests.

The series is fun, this particular edition is a fast read because you have trouble laying it aside for mere sleep, work or whatever. You tend to take the book everywhere you go to not let any time escape your reading until you have finished the book. Love this entire series.

SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL by Shirley Tallman


Shirley Tallman's "Sarah Woolson" books rank at the top of historical mystery. Tallman's latest is no exception.

SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL opens with a bang. Sarah is rousted out of bed in the middle of the night by the news that a body has been found just two blocks from the Woolson family home. Not one to be left out of things, the intrepid Sarah grabs a lantern and rushes to the murder scene along with her humorous brother, Samuel, who secretly writes crime articles under the nom de plume, Ian Fearless. They are horrified to find a young man in elegant dinner dress savagely beaten to death.

Two more identical murders quickly take place on Rincon Hill. All of San Francisco clamors for police to make an arrest. Prejudice against the Chinese is rampant in Sarah's world of 1880. Two badly frightened Chinese boys who cannot even speak English, are arrested and thrown into jail, certain to go to the gallows. Having endured her own share of prejudice in daring to invade a man's world and become a "lady" lawyer, the compassionate Sarah takes their case. She knows no jury of white men will acquit her clients. Therefore the only way she can save them is to uncover the real murderer. Her investigation plunges her into peril and leads her into the seamy underbelly of the city where no "lady" should go.

As always, Tallman's research is impeccable, the plot clever and immensely satisfying, the writing fast-paced and vivid, and the climax a huge but believable surprise that will stun readers. Colorful characters abound. Fans of the series will shout, "Hurrah," as the tall, dark and devastatingly handsome Pierce Godfrey, whom they met in an earlier book, reappears in Sarah's life, turning it upside down.

SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL is a winner. Don't miss it!

JoAnn Wendt
joannwendt@sbcglobal.net

Superb descriptions of life in Victorian San Francisco! I have fallen in love with all the characters, and can't wait to see what happens between Sarah & Pierce OR Sarah & Robert...the flirting continues!

Thank you Shirley Tallman for adding another excellent book to your growing series!! I feel like I know Sarah Woolson and her entire community of friends, family and colleagues personally now. It is always a delight to read these mystery books cover-to-cover and inhale the vivid descriptions of Victorian San Francisco that are so artfully presented. Once again, I am amazed at different life was for a woman back then and how far we have come. Thank you Ms. Tallman for keeping us connected to our history in such an entertaining way.

In the year of our Lord 1881 in San Francisco someone stabs to death botanist Nigel Logan. The corpse is found on Rincon Hill, a couple blocks from the Woolson family home. Adding to the connection is that the night before the homicide, Nigel and Judge Horace T. Woolson attended the same party.

SFPD Police Sargeant George Lewis accompanied by the Judge's son crime reporter Samuel investigates. Also looking into the murder is the Judge's other offspring Sarah the attorney. A few days later, Logan's friend Deacon Hume is killed; seemingly by the same culprit. The police arrest Chinese immigrants as the case is going nowhere so they need suspects even if there is not one drop of evidence. Sarah defends the Asians although many on Rincon Hill including a predator want her to lose the case.

The latest Woolson historical mystery is a superb San Francisco Victorian tale (see The Cliff House Strangler) that is a great period piece legal thriller. The story line is fast-paced from the moment George wakes up Sarah by tossing pebbles at her window and never slows down. Although the climax can be seen from the top of Nob Hill to the Tenderloin, fans will enjoy this exhilarating Americana novel.

Harriet Klausner

Scandal on Rincon Hill grabs you with the intensity of a San Francisco earthquake and keeps you hanging on until the very end, in much the same manner! Ms. Tallman uses the history of old San Francisco to make her stories feel real in every way!