An excellent historical mystery, gripping and highly entertaining. It kept me hooked and guessing till the end.
I liked the well researched and vivid historical background, the fleshed out characters, and the solid mystery
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Detective Randall Blackburn has been given an assignment he thinks is beneath him: bodyguard work for the famous mesmerist James "J.D." Duncan. Duncan is one of the main attractions at The Panama-Pacific International Exposition, set in a resurgent San Francisco in 1915. But not only is Duncan hiding secrets about his health that threaten to derail his career, he is being stalked across the city by a non-descript man with a deeply personal vengeance. Randall, along with his adopted son Shane Nightingale, must keep Duncan safe while grappling with corruption within his department and struggles with his new fiancé Janine and strong-willed adopted daughter Vignette. As the story unfolds, secrets are uncovered and no one's safety is guaranteed.

I really enjoyed the characters and setting of this story. The Exposition is a fun backdrop to the various plots and a personal area of interest for me. Told from multiple points of view, the dialogue for some characters can get repetitive, but overall the format works well knitting all the perspectives together.

Originally published in 2008, this title is now available from Severen River Publishing.

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley. Murder...intrigue...historical fiction...this author is ingenious at weaving a story that keeps the interest of the reader. Curl up under a warm afghan, sip a cup of steaming tea, enjoy a delicious yummy muffin...and lose yourself in the past...historical fiction at its best. I liked this book. Don't miss it.