Ambrose Bierce and the Trey of Pearls

Hall's novel is part mystery, part history, part romance, thoroughly wonderful. The story takes place in San Francisco where journalist Ambrose Bierce (an actual historical figure, probably best known for his "Devil's Dictionary") and his assistant (the narrator of the book) are attempting to unravel a murder that appears to be related to the "Trey of Pearls," three beautiful suffragettes. One of the Pearls is second cousin to the narrator who falls in love with her and tries to woo her. The young lady is uninterested in marriage, however, being a proponent of the new-fangled philosophy of "Free Love" which states that marriage is slavery and a woman can only truly love someone when she enters the sexual relationship free of artificial social, religious, and legal bonds. Will Bierce find the murderer? Will the lovely suffragette relent and marry her enamored cousin? The tension level in this book is just right - not cranked up to thriller-levels of anxiety but satisfyingly present enough to keep the reader turning pages. The glimpse of historical San Francisco and the delightful close view of Bierce are icing on the cake. A lovely, light read. Apparently, the author has written a series of Ambrose Bierce mysteries. I definitely enjoyed this one enough to want to seek out the others.