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For my birthday I decided to gift myself a couple of books in paper format.  I put a plea on Twitter for historical fiction, and this author responded with this lovely suggestion.  I enjoyed the main character, Sadie Brown, and her strong backbone and intelligence in an era when women were just starting to become independent yet have to balance that fine line of what society expected.  This book contained a lot of quirky humor, of which I am a huge fan.  Madam Valesky, with her fake and fluctuating Russian accent, was the tip of the iceberg.  (Hmmm, iceberg comments may be too close to the time period with this book!)  Also included was Sadie’s future mother-in-law Elizabeth Seibert with her more traditional responses and actions giving a nice balance to Sadie’s lifestyle of driving, being a pilot, and working for a newspaper while doing a little undercover work for the local Sheriff. Sprinkled throughout are some minor celebrities of the time, adding just the right amount of historical interest and a tangent of research for me.  For example, Tiny Broadwick was one incredible adventurous person! Look her up!

The book was a win-win with the accurate time period experiences and details along with a twisted mystery.  So glad I asked, and Ms. Heaton answered!

For more information about this author and all their books, CLICK HERE.

SUMMARY

Another murder mystery chock full of delightful, quirky characters. Take another crazy ride as Miss Sadie Brown becomes involved with a bizarre murder and a runaway killer. It’s the summer of 1917 in the beautiful seaside community of Coronado, California. Sadie Brown, aviatrix and newspaper columnist/reporter, is investigating the simple case of a phony fortune teller which unexpectedly turns into a murder. As Miss Brown and Deputy Sheriff Evan Greenway investigate, they are thrown into the dark world of a serial killer traveling between Southern California and the city of Vallejo in the San Francisco Bay Area. Along the way, they have to deal with shady hustlers taking advantage of this period in history when the world is focused on the “war to end all wars.” Fans of Masie Dobbs and Molly Murphy will find the Sadie Brown series a fun read. Think you can figure out who the killer is and their motive?