This is another great story by Tracie Peterson. Her books are always entertaining and uplifting, and this book is both of those.
The story is set in a rowdy, lawless time in San Francisco. This leads to some heartbreaking threads in the plot. Ms. Peterson handles these in an appropriate manner, but for this reason, I would not recommend this for girls under high school age.

I liked the characters in the book. The main character, Camri, learns to overcome her pride in her many accomplishments and learns to value people in all walks of life. The romance between Camri and Patrick develops rather swiftly, but it still fits well in the storyline. I thought the book ended a little too abruptly with some of the characters’ storylines unresolved, even for the first book in a series. I’m guessing we’ll continue to see those situations resolve as the next books are released. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. I was not required to give a positive review, and this is my honest opinion of the book.

This month, Tracie Peterson brings us a new historical romance, In Places Hidden. The story takes place in San Francisco in 1905 and the city is booming so it contains many exciting new gems as well as a darker element that plays into the plots of this book. Three women met on a train as they are traveling to San Francisco. Each have a mission that they are on, and they decide to work together and pool their resources to accomplish their goals. Camrianne Coulter, usually going by Camri, is the main character and she is on her way to find her missing brother, a successful attorney. The story starts in late November and Caleb has been missing for about three months. With her parents health failing and sick from worry they send her to try to find out what has happened to their son. Kenzi Gifford was stood up at the alter on her wedding day, and she is looking to find peace of mind and heart. Her mother’s cousin runs a chocolate factory and she is hoping to work there as she makes a new life. Judith Gladstone had thought that she had no extended family, but after her parents deaths she discovers a letter that mentions a sister of her mothers that lived once in San Francisco. She is making this trip in hopes of finding this mysterious Edith Whitley and trying to understand why she was never mentioned within her family.

The women agree that finding Caleb is the most urgent matter so Camri invites them all to stay at his home as they begin the search. Caleb’s hired hands are Mr and Mrs Wong and Camri soon finds that they are having financial problems keeping up with living expenses without Caleb being around. Kenzi is able to get jobs for all of them at the chocolate factory and the three women begin using their earnings for food and other household expenses to keep things running as normal as possible.

Camri meets with Caleb’s employer and finds out that one of his most recent legal cases was getting an Irish man by the name of Patrick Murdock found innocent of a false murder charge. With all of the political corruption going on in the city, Camri needs to find out who she can trust and who might be lying to her for a variety of reasons. The more friends of Caleb that she meets, the more stories seem to conflict and the further away she seems to finding her brother.

This story holds many plots to keep the reader turning the page. Some plots are connections to the underlying mysteries and some show the growth of the characters. Camri has a lot of growing to do and she finds that she is constantly saying the wrong things to the people who are trying to help her. She was raised to hold education for women as extremely important and she is steadfast in her role as fighting for the suffrage movement. As she gets to know Kenzi and Judith better she makes many statements about the need for strength and independence. Sometimes these comments come off as being harsh and lacking in compassion for her new-found friends upbringings. Camri is a good person in heart, but she continues to try to find a midway between her own beliefs and trying to understand others perspectives.

Between the character development and the surprising twists and turns with the plots and character interactions, this is a great book to read. This is the first book in the new Golden Gate Secrets series, and you won’t want to miss out on this historical trip into understanding what the major cities were encountering as they grew. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Set in San Francisco in 1905, In Places Hidden has it all: history, mystery, romance, and social justice. Tracie Peterson never fails to entertain while challenging readers to think deeply about their faith. This story has the reader pondering the degree to which he or she is willing to see God and to serve Him in the words of circumstances. She asks us to see the world and set priorities with a Kingdom view, a view that looks past next week, even past a lifetime, into eternity.
In Places Hidden is the first book in Peterson’s Golden Gate Secrets series. The series follows three young women, each coming to San Francisco with a goal in mind. This first book focuses on Camri Coulter who has come to the city to search for her missing brother, attorney Caleb Coulter. She is assisted in her search by new friends, Judith Gladstone and Kenzie Gifford, along with Caleb’s friend, and former client, Patrick Murdoch. The search moves from Caleb’s fashionable neighborhood to poverty-stricken ones to the infamous Barbary Coast. Camri, an advocate for education and women’s rights, comes face to face with her own biases as her eyes are opened to the needs of others, and as her view of what comprises an education broadens.
I highly recommend In Places Hidden, and look forward to reading Judith’s story when the second book in this series is released. I appreciate NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

I did not enjoy this book due to inconsistencies and an unlikeable main character.

IN PLACES HIDDEN by TRACIE PETERSON takes place in San Fransisco in 1905. I particularly enjoy this Author as she writes really good stories filled with biblical truth. Her characters are real and in many ways we can relate to them.
Caleb Coulter is a lawyer who seems to have upset the wrong people by looking into corruption in the city! He has disappeared and no one knows what has happened to him. Is he still alive? Has he been "shanghaied" and forced to work on the ships? His parents are sick with worry and send his sister, Camri, who is devoted to her brother, to San Fransisco to look for him. She meets two young ladies on her travels who become dear friends, even though they are very different in outlook and situation. Judith is looking for her aunt and Kenzie is getting over being jilted at the altar.
The Author touches on matters such as class distinction, discrimination against the Chinese, Jews and Irish, and poverty in general. A lot of things that are hidden are uncovered.
We see Camrianne Coulter, to start with, as a bit of a snob. She is a strong proponent of women's rights and the importance of education, especially for women. She feels women should be self-sufficient. Her friendship with Judith and Kenzie, Patrick and his sister Ophelia, opens her eyes to see how proud and opinionated she has become. She has never really had close friends before, never realizing she needed them, and recognizes that these down to earth people have a very wide practical education which did not come from books! As the story unfolds, we see her turn more and more to the Lord, trusting in Him rather than in her own strength. We also see how the Lord can bring good out of even the most desperate situations and how He answers prayer.
It is an exciting read with a good Christian message..

In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson is my second book I have read by Peterson. I do enjoy her ability to write a story rich in history with enjoyable characters. Historical romance is my second genre of choice. I know a good historical romance will be filled with likeable characters and a different time period than today.

Peterson's writing was clear and concise. I can see why she has written so many books. While some of her books don't interest me, I was interested in this San Francisco story because it takes place in the beginning of the twentieth century. Her setting in the house and around the town of San Francisco filled my imagination. I had no problem imagining her setting and watching the characters roam through the story.

The romance between Camrianne Coulter and Patrick appeared to be very fast for my taste. They were moving along in the story, trying to solve where the missing brother is and then about eight-five percent into the story, Peterson throws in the sparks for a budding romance. It just didn't fit with the tone of the story up to that moment. It appeared to come out of nowhere. Then they were on the way to the altar.

The plot has been seen before too. I have read a number of stories that have shady parts of town where they take someone illegally away and forced them into slave labor or worse. It is a popular story in historical or contemporary stories. The return of Caleb is also unrealistic too. I think the part should have handled better. It felt cheap.

While these elements bothered me, I really enjoyed the story, and it was enjoyable. I liked spending time with Patrick and Camrianne. I really can't wait to see Judith and Kenzie's story, which I assume will be the next two books in the series. In Places Hidden was a good attempt at a twentieth century historical cozy mystery.

Fans of Peterson's other novels and fans of historical novels or cozy mysteries might enjoy this book.

Overall, In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson is a captivating twentieth century historical mystery. While the plot may have been done a number of times, I really enjoyed spending time with the characters and the plot.

I received a complimentary copy of In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson, but the opinions stated are all my own.