The McCone Files (Paperback)

~ Marcia Muller (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The McCone Files gathers all of Sharon McCone's short cases covering her entire career as staff investigator at All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco. Marcia Muller comments in the introduction, "Over the seventeen years since her first case, very little about McCone except her voice has remained the same, and the stories in this collection trace her development." Each tale, including two written especially for this volume, is a miniature masterpiece of plotting, realistic characters and vivid settings.

From the death of a clown in Diablo Valley to the disappearance of a young socialite on the Golden Gate Bridge, from the murder of a teenage gang leader in San Francisco to the drowning of an aged Japanese herb-gatherer, and from streets filled with juvenile runaways to the quietness of a mausoleum, Sharon investigates not only who committed the crimes but also what they say about or world toward the end of the twentieth century.

The McCone Files is a distinguished book by a distinguished author.

About the Author

Marcia Muller, is, in Sue Grafton's words, "The Founding 'Mother' of the Contemporary Female Private Eye."

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Crippen & Landru Publishers (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885941056
• ISBN-13: 978-1885941053
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #889,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 17 in The Sharon McCone Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifteen great Sharon McCone short stories., May 8, 1997

By A Customer

Found this in the local library and am enjoying it immensely. I had only read one or two of the stores in it. The last one (File Closed)had never been published before this book. All take place before Sharon left All Souls Cooperative

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good collection of mysteries, April 22, 2006

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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It is hard to say exactly when women PIs were first conceived by authors. Various writers had created women characters involved in crime solving, e.g., Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Dashiell Hammett's Nora Charles, etc. At some point women characters begin to obtain licenses to operate as PIs. Cordelia Gray was created by P.D. James in "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman" (copyright 1973), but the series did not seem to continue beyond a second novel. The earliest Sharon McCone short story in the present collection shows a copyright in 1981, but the author indicates the character was created in 1971 (I know from personal experience that it can take a significant period of time to get a story published - my first Mark Mandering story was in an ezine in 2005). At about the same time Kinsey Millhone was created by Sue Grafton (the reprint edition of "A is for Alibi" shows a 1982 copyright, but I am not sure when the character was created ). Other women PIs have been created along the way, e.g., Tess Monaghan by Laura Lippman, Tamara Hayle by Valerie Wilson Wesley, etc.

The present collection has 15 short stories about PI Sharon McCone, although the last one is a continuation of the first. After working for a PI firm, Miss McCone strikes out on her own and becomes the house investigator for a legal cooperative in San Francisco, although sometimes taking on independent cases. The character develops from story to story.

Sharon McCone has her own unique characteristics, sometimes carrying a gun, but usually not. The stories involve missing people, murders, burglary, and missing money: but one case is unique as she rescues a man who called a crisis center hotline. Miss McCone has a love life of sorts, which is kept in the background. Her home is described as a cottage in a constant state of repair, but not much other information is given. The cases are set either in San Francisco, or within commuting distance driving her used MG.

Overall, the stories are well written and have some very original plots. The length of the stories varies. They could be read in any order, but it is better to read them in the same order that they appear in the collection.