Maids of Misfortune: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery

M. Louisa Locke

Nov 2009 · M. Louisa Locke

About this ebook

First book in the USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.

It’s the summer of 1879, and Annie Fuller, a young San Francisco widow, is in trouble. Annie’s husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt.

Annie Fuller also possesses a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San Francisco’s most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl’s clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe his death was suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen.

Nate Dawson wrestles with a difficult decision. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to prove that Matthew Voss didn't leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior.

Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted, cozy historical mystery set in the foggy, gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco. 

Maids of Misfortune is the first book in M. Louisa Locke’s USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco mystery series, followed by Uneasy Spirits, Bloody Lessons, Deadly Proof, Pilfered Promises, Scholarly Pursuits, and Lethal Remedies. Locke’s shorter works, collected in Victorian San Francisco Stories: Vols 1 and 2, and Victorian San Francisco Novellas, feature beloved minor characters from the series. There are also two boxed sets of the novels, Victorian San Francisco Mysteries: Books 1-4 and Victorian San Francisco Mysteries: Books 5-7.

Ratings and reviews

Loved it. To me it was a mix of Devious House Maids meets Stephnie Plumb a hundred years ago. The story was spiced with humor, adventure and romance. Although I must admit that during the story I though to myself several times, come on just kiss her already.

Enjoyed the suspense and the thoroughly believability of the story. I do think it could have been shorter as the killer was easy to guess before the last chapters.

Excelent mystery story set in old San Francisco. With a touch of romance and you won't put it down.

About the author

M. Louisa Locke is a retired U.S and Women's history professor who has embarked on a new career with the publication of her best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. Writing as Louisa Locke she is a founder and writes in the Paradisi Chronicles, an open source science fiction series by multiple authors. For information about both of these series go to https://mlouisalocke.com