Shirley TallmanRezensionen

A cozy mystery set in 1880, San Francisco —
Sarah Woolson is a strong-willed and determined attorney who decides to find out who really killed her client’s husband. The author’s research was kluged in rather artlessly; the main character’s personality is so unrelentingly self-righteous as to be off-putting and; the late Anna Fields couldn’t pull off the Scottish and Chinese characters with credibility. Overall, a disappointment and an argument against continuing with the series.

I have enjoyed this series and am sorry that is the last book. I like that I find out information about San Francisco that didn't know before, like there was a bullring in the Mission District in the 1850's. I also liked reading about Telegraph Hill in the 1880's since I've been up there a few times and have even climbed the Filbert Steps.

I am really enjoying this series and this was no exception. This time the murders are in her own neighborhood and she also gets a chance to help save a young mistress from going into a life a prostitution. I'm sorry that there is only one more book in the series.½

I almost skipped this book because there was a seance in it, but I'm glad I didn't. There was so much more to the story and also another case that she worked on, plus her brother's predicament.½

Sarah Woolson does not want an innocent man to hang, but it takes great lengths to prove he didn't do it. She has to overcome a lot of prejudice, both as herself being a female lawyer and her client as Chinaman. Shirley Tallman has a lot of skill to bring you into the world of San Francisco in the 1880's.½

The WLV library used book store recently had a sale where you could fill up a shopping bag w as many books as you could squeeze in for $3.00! That's where this book came from; I don't know anything about it, just filling up the sack :). I got abt 15 books for $3, so if this turns out to be a loser no harm done.

This is the start of a series about a woman lawyer in 1880's San Francisco. Living most of my life in the Bay Area, I enjoy historical fiction about the city. This was no exception and I plan to read the rest of the series in the near future.½

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.

Enjoyed this one as much as the first!

Since I've acquired a new fascination with the city of San Francisco, I decided to seek out a mystery series set in that locale. I'm so glad that I found this one, and I'm also pleased to see that I have a few more immediately at my disposal!

Not quite as good as her other books - perhaps because it was missing the legal drama. I still like the reoccurring characters though.

SF 1880 one of the first female lawyers as detective. some humor, too long,.

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.

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.

Another librarian turned me on to this series. This was an enjoyable book to which to listen while sewing. Some of the scenes were predictable, but then ending was a complete surprise. I really enjoy hearing about the locations the author describes.

I have to say that, after listening to 11 chapters, I don't find this book to be one of Shirley Tallman's better Sarah Woolson stories. The first 10 chapters are repetitive and the "independent spirit" that Sarah has chosen comes across as stupid and insipid. She comes across as completely unaware of her own feelings. The issue may be that I don't know enough about Victorian manners and expectations to judge her feelings adequately, but that whole aspect of the book is annoying me.
Chapter 17 continues the strange behavior of Sarah and adds Robert Campbell acting strangely to the mix. It is obvious to the reader (listener) what is going on, and unless Victorian attitudes about sex and relationships are firmly in play here, the whole end of the chapter left me frustrated. [a:Shirley Tallman|125752|Shirley Tallman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1269980001p2/125752.jpg]'s writing is not at its best in this book and Chapter 17 seems to be the worst.

The author has Sarah comment, in chapter 18, that she cant' believe a prostitute could crochet so beautifully. I was surprised at this since Sarah should be smart and well educated enough to know that women do not usually plan on becoming prostitutes and in that day and age it was quite common for women to learn needlecrafts.

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.

The Sarah Woolson series set in 1890's San Francisco is an interesting series that always brings in the history of San Francisco and the growing United States. In this novel, Sarah's brother, Samuel is shot, and soon the dead bodies are everywhere on Telegraph Hill. Sarah is determined to find the shooter of Samuel, but she is also fighting a rich Mexican in his attempts to build a bullring in the Mission district. Conditions could not get murkier except a good friend is jailed as a murderer, and Sarah as his attorney must find the real murderer. I find Tallman's books seeped in reality and capturing the essence of that time in San Francisco, when the city is trying to emerge from the Wild West image and provide a cultural center. Tallman shows both sides of the town in her books.

I thoroughly enjoy this series set in 1880-1890's in San Francisco. Tallman weaves many tidbits of history into the story such as the rivalry between Isaac Kallock and Charles DeYoung that resulted in DeYoung shooting Kallock and Kallock surviving the gunshot. Then Kallock's son guns down DeYoung, the editor-in-chief of The San Francisco Chronicle. Again, Tallman exposes the hatred directed toward the Chinese and the distinct class levels. Other interesting topics are presented such as Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man and the use of photography for police work. The story presents a child's desire for a certain career and a parent's choice of a career for the child. In this novel, three young men are murdered in the neighborhood of the Woolsons and Sarah attempts to seek justice for a rich man's mistress. Also, 28-year-old Sarah has two men romantically pursuing her. This is a fun and entertaining series, and I eagerly await the next book.

I am enthralled with this series set in San Francisco during the 1890's. The story begins on a stormy night at the Cliff House, a San Francisco legend built in 1863. Sarah Woolson and her friend, Robert Campbell, are guests of a séance being conducted by a Russian clairvoyant. The raging storm extinguishes the candles, and during this period of blackness, Darien Moss, a mean spirited reporter is strangled. Sarah jumps into the investigation, but not soon enough, as another member of the séance is strangled. Mayhem unfolds, with more murders, with Sarah's brother Frederick arrested, with an attempt on Sarah's life, and with Sarah's handling of a divorce and child custody case. Sarah's semi romantic interest from the previous book, Pierce Godfrey, receives further mention in this installment. Will Pierce return to San Francisco for Sarah? According to correspondence from Pierce, he is planning a return during the holidays. The story points to the corruption in government and in the police department, and to the plight of women. I would love to return to San Francisco and visit the Cliff House after reading this story.

This series, set in 1890's San Francisco, rivets my attention. I like the way that Tallman incorporates history of San Francisco into the story line. The series is about a female attorney, which is very unusual during this period. During the time in San Francisco, only one female had actually passed the bar and started practicing law. Sarah Woolson received her first trial in the case of a Chinese cook accused of murdering 2 people. Tallman shows all the prejudice among the white, male jury and courtroom when Sarah, a woman, tries to defend Chin, the Chinese cook. Tallman also goes on her soapbox about the sweatshops that are secretly owned and used to exploit the poor. I enjoy Tallman for the journey into San Francisco of yesterday and the glimpse of the changing times that machinery brings.

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 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.

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, lawyer in 1880 in San Francisco. OK.

late 19th century young female lawyer solving murder mysteries. very self assured young lady. funny