Juliana (philippaj) -
~ AN ENGAGING HISTORICAL MYSTERY STORY WITH A REAL SPITFIRE OF A HEROINE! (4 stars) ~
I'm glad I happened upon this book in the library, as it ended up being an enjoyable read and a good mystery. The heroine, Sarah Woolson, is a real spitfire and very opinionated; while sometimes annoying, she is for the most part a great lead character - and at times very funny. Her family is very interesting and they are a great addition to the cast of characters. I also loved Robert Campbell, a fellow associate attorney at their firm, a big and loud Scot alway objecting to Sarah's ideas and plans, but then getting involved despite himself. Their bickering and squabbling is often amusing and I'm personally hoping that their relationship develops into a more, umm ... harmonious one, shall we say ;-).
Tallman's writing is very simple and her storytelling straightforward, not that either of these things are bad. One criticism I do have is that sometimes it seemed like she needed a better editor, as you have the same word that would appear twice in one sentence or in two consecutive sentences. May seem like a picky objection, but for me it was noticeable and bothersome.
The mystery itself was very well-done and definitely keeps the reader engaged. You start to develop a theory, which gains shape as additional things are revealed. It is a mystery, though - not blatantly obvious - and has some great twists and turns. Another great aspect of this book is that the historical setting feels very authentic. I look forward to reading the other books in the series!
THE SARAH WOOLSON MYSTERY SERIES:
Book 1 - MURDER ON NOB HILL (4 stars)
Book 2 - The Russian Hill Murders (4 stars)
Book 3 - The Cliff House Strangler
Book 4 - Scandal on Rincon Hill
I'm glad I happened upon this book in the library, as it ended up being an enjoyable read and a good mystery. The heroine, Sarah Woolson, is a real spitfire and very opinionated; while sometimes annoying, she is for the most part a great lead character - and at times very funny. Her family is very interesting and they are a great addition to the cast of characters. I also loved Robert Campbell, a fellow associate attorney at their firm, a big and loud Scot alway objecting to Sarah's ideas and plans, but then getting involved despite himself. Their bickering and squabbling is often amusing and I'm personally hoping that their relationship develops into a more, umm ... harmonious one, shall we say ;-).
Tallman's writing is very simple and her storytelling straightforward, not that either of these things are bad. One criticism I do have is that sometimes it seemed like she needed a better editor, as you have the same word that would appear twice in one sentence or in two consecutive sentences. May seem like a picky objection, but for me it was noticeable and bothersome.
The mystery itself was very well-done and definitely keeps the reader engaged. You start to develop a theory, which gains shape as additional things are revealed. It is a mystery, though - not blatantly obvious - and has some great twists and turns. Another great aspect of this book is that the historical setting feels very authentic. I look forward to reading the other books in the series!
THE SARAH WOOLSON MYSTERY SERIES:
Book 1 - MURDER ON NOB HILL (4 stars)
Book 2 - The Russian Hill Murders (4 stars)
Book 3 - The Cliff House Strangler
Book 4 - Scandal on Rincon Hill
