First published 2014
Blanche Beunon watches her friend Jenny Bonnet get shot through the window of a railroad saloon. The heat wave gripping San Francisco in 1876 has killed dozens, smallpox spreads through the streets, and now Jenny lies dead. Blanche, a French burlesque dancer, has three days to find Jenny's killer before he finds her. She pieces together the truth about Jenny's secret life. Jenny broke the law each morning simply by dressing in men's clothes. She charmed her way through the city, hunting frogs and dodging trouble. Blanche discovers a world of free-love bohemians, desperate poor people, and wealthy men who think they own everything. Jealous lovers, cold women, and broken children all played roles in Jenny's death. The investigation pulls Blanche deeper into San Francisco's hidden corners, where songs from distant countries mix with violence and passion. She must solve this crime or become its next victim.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, historical-mystery, investigation
Setting: San Francisco
Period: 1876
405 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence