Howlers like "suing him for liable" or "might take that tact" are enough to make one wonder if the author and copy editors were asleep when this drivel was written, but the laughably predictable plot and shoddy background research confirm it. A note at the front of the book claims creative license in using on the cover an image of the 1896 Cliff House, instead of the structure actually on the site during the time of the novel, but that is the least of the book's problems. Anachronisms like referring to the town of Palo Alto and calling a man's dinner attire a tuxedo are inexcusable in a day and age when a simple Internet search will reveal that Palo Alto was founded in 1894 (after Leland Stanford, who founded the university in 1886, got in a fight with the town of Mayfield) and originally called University Park, and that tuxedos were not introduced in the United States until 1886 (when James Potter, a member of the Tuxedo Club, founded in 1886, brought the fashion back from a trip to England and popularized it as a form of informal dinner attire for the club's stag events). But the author tops all her historic and linguistic gaffes with a simply bizarre device: a mysterious diary entry claimed to be written in Coptic is quite transparently English transliterated into a Greco-Cyrillic script. This fact takes anyone with half an education (including a reader like me, who does not know Greek, Russian, or Coptic but remembers alpha, pi, rho, theta and omega from basic high school math and physics) about 1 second to recognize. So the reader can only hope that it's just the idiotic (and apparently illiterate) heroine who fails to realize the language is English - but no, she takes it to a so-called expert who claims he needs to take a weekend to translate it. Well, that happens about mid-way through the book, and I'm not wasting my time reading the other half of this nonsense - after all, I can already predict the end.

Loved this mystery start to finish. With her plucky heroine, colorful characters, spooky backdrop, seance and an excellent portrayal of Miss Woolson's era, well, Ms. Tallman employs all the tools for a mystery done right. I will be reading her other books.

First Sentence: "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Robert Campbell grumbled.

Nineteenth-century attorney Sarah Woolson has opened her own law office and has her first two cases. Sarah and her friend Robert Campbell, attend a séance conducted by Russian clairvoyant Madame Olga Karpova and attended by several prominent San Franciscans. During the séance, one of the attendees, a reporter, is murdered. Other attendees are subsequently attacked and murdered and Sarah is hired to defend Madame Olga's brother. Sarah's second case is for an abused woman. Obtaining a divorce from the husband is relatively simple. More difficult is trying to gain custody of the two sons, particularly in light of the lack of women's rights and the husband claiming his wife had been a drunkard and adulteress.

Tallman knows how to incorporate historical events, social issues, political intrigue and murder into one engrossing mystery. I love the character of Sarah, a smart and determined young lady who has become an attorney in an age where women had few rights. I also enjoy the dynamics of Sarah's family, but find Robert, her friend, almost too much of a contrast; his stubbornness becomes annoying. The only small bone I have to pick is the book opening with a severe thunderstorm; something that rarely happens in San Francisco. This was a very enjoyable book with enough complexity to keep the story really interesting yet all the threads nicely tied up at the end.

I thought the first two books in the Sarah Woolson series were great, but THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER is even better! Not only is it beautifully written (a real cut above most of the books in this genre in stores now). I just couldn't put it down -- it's a real page-turner!! And the ending took me completely by surprise, yet when I looked back at all the clues, it made perfect sense.

I was born and raised in San Francisco, and believe me Tallman really brings the city to life in vivid detail. I can just feel what it must have been like to have lived here in the 1880s.

Best of all, I love her characters (especially Robert Campbell and young Eddie Cooper). I'm so glad she brought them back in book three. (BTW, is Pierce Godfrey coming back into Sarah's life? Now there's a real hunk!) I also admire Sarah Woolson so much for daring to practice law at a time when most women hardly left their homes. And she does it HER way, refusing to give in to all the men who demand that she stay home and tend to her knitting.

A warning, though. Make sure you have some time to spare when you start reading CLIFF HOUSE, because you're not going to want to put it down!! The many twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page! This book is truly an excellent example of an historical murder mystery done right!! Congratulations, Shirley, and many thanks for giving your readers a book that's so much fun to read. I hope you write many, many more!!

"As a matter of fact, despite your obstinacy, your infernal prying, and the fact that you invariably blurt out whatever comes into your head, regardless of the consequences, I admit that there are times when I find you irresistible, too." These words, spoken by irritable Scotsman, Robert Campbell, describe our plucky young heroine, Sarah Woolson, as she makes a name for herself as one of the few female attorneys of her time, late nineteenth century San Francisco.

The third installment of the Sarah Woolson series starts with a bang. In a brougham driven by Eddie Cooper (one of Sarah's latest good deeds), Sarah and her "colleague" Robert venture out in the middle of a thunderstorm to The Cliff House at Lands End to observe a visiting Russian clairvoyant. Sarah's brother, Samuel, has sent his sister on this mission to gather information for an article about the mysterious, Madame Karpova. Mayhem ensues, murders occur, and Sarah finds herself in the middle it all.

While all this is unraveling, Sarah is visited by a perspective client, Alexandra Sechrest, who is seeking custody of her two sons and a divorce from her abusive husband. This case puts Sarah at odds with Robert and at the same time renews Sarah's commitment to help the women of San Francisco get a fair shake in the legal system. There's also the concern that her brother, Senator Frederick Woolson, might have become involved in some nefarious doings that could ruin his career and send him to jail and the worry that Sarah might not survive long enough to defend any of her clients. Through it all, Sarah manages to keep a cool head, help the less fortunate, teach the illiterate, pay social calls, and make time for tea and cakes, provided by good neighbor, Fanny Goodman.

As always, Sarah's friends and family are either cheering her on or giving her grief for her efforts. We also see a little romantic tension between Robert and Sarah, although Sarah's ineptitude in this area can be irritating at times. There's mention of super suitor, Pierce Godfrey, who's busy building an empire abroad and only corresponds with Sarah through letters. Family friend and policeman, George Lewis, interacts only briefly and not at all romantically with Sarah as she investigates various crimes. That leaves Robert Campbell as romantic prospect numero uno, as I think most readers have always wanted.

While I liked this book, I felt The Russian Hill Murders was slightly better in terms of pacing and interaction between characters. I look forward to another installment of the series and am left with the following questions:

Will Robert get a clue and offer a situation that is appealing to our independent heroine? Will Sarah accept anything less than an equal partnership in business and in love? Who will change nappies if the team of Woolson and Campbell combine forces to serve the citizens of San Francisco? Could other characters, like Eddie Cooper, Yelena Karpova, or Samuel Woolson, carry their own book? Hopefully Ms. Tallman has the answers.