But, as the guardian of my family folklore and related memorabilia, I find my writing inspiration in the whispered stories of my ancestors. Eavesdropping on my parents or grandparents or aunts as they gossiped about a distant relative over coffee was enough to tantalize me with the scandals, rumors, and mysterious doings of skeletons hiding in the family closet.

Of course I brought one to life and gave her a story all her own.

Shadows in Chinatown introduces Norse protagonist Karine Kelly in the first book of my new historical mystery series set in 1882 San Francisco. Mrs. Kelly enters San Francisco as a thirty- year-old mail-order bride, with hard-working ethics and her blue eyes scanning the western horizon.

While she is nobody’s fool, she has a dream.

Mrs. Kelly wants to leave her Minnesota dairy farm life behind and become a lady in the big city. But her charming husband-to-be isn’t quite the golden ticket she’d been led to believe.

Or is he?

When Patrick Kelly is murdered on their wedding night, he leaves behind a trail of lies that leads Mrs. Kelly deeper into the teeming and tangled layers of city corruption, vice, and injustice. Writing diverse neighborhoods authentically was one of many challenges involved in this series. The drive for accuracy, from menus and maps to politics and prejudices, fueled my love for all things mysterious and historical with hours of deep-diving research.

1882 San Francisco is a fascinating period that deserves more attention in fiction. Landing
between the Gold Rush era and the great quake of 1906, my series preserves a time that is all but extinct. The earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed not only records and buildings, but changed the very landscape of the city, as debris from the wreckage was shoved directly into the water. Though most of San Francisco’s hills remain, you cannot walk the coastline today with 1880s accuracy.

Shadows in Chinatown coincides with Congress passing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,
which dramatically impacted (and originated in) San Francisco and provides rich tension for the plot. Considering today’s political climate, the issues presented in this series will resonate strongly with readers.

In a literary world filled with contemporary whodunits, I invite you to explore a vanished San Francisco through the eyes of a determined newcomer who discovers that not all that glitters is gold.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with compelling characters and authentic period details, Mrs. Kelly’s mysteries in 1880s San Francisco should land at the top of your TBR treasure horde. After all, the past holds just as many secrets as the present—and solving them is twice as satisfying.

About the Author

Award-winning author Jolie Tunnell brings the past to life in suspenseful historical mysteries, bringing the flavor of the turn-of-the-century Wild West to the isolated mountains of Idyllwild and the writhing underbelly of San Francisco.

Her books gallop to the last page.

A Southern California native, she loves on her sprawling family, forces her freeloading tomcat to cuddle, and can drink her weight in Yorkshire Gold tea. Sign up for her extraordinary newsletter and settle in for a visit at JolieTunnell.com.

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the June mystery releases.

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

The Bordeaux Case by HL Marsay

Corkscrews, grand crus and cracking crimes.

Emma came to Bordeaux in search of the perfect claret, but instead found a cunning killer…

Emma King is half English, half French but one hundred percent disorganised. As the new head wine buyer for her family’s business, she has a keen palate, generous heart and a fiercely loyal nature. Nervous about her promotion, she’s relieved to be spending her first week of wine tasting events at the historic Château Montfleur, the home of old family friends Henri and Céleste. Joining her on her tour of the beautiful vineyards of Bordeaux are some other familiar faces: Paddy, a fellow wine buyer, Kiara, a travel blogger, Vanessa, the wine critic from hell, and the handsome, but arrogant Nico Lambert, Emma’s college crush.

On the first morning, Henri and Celeste’s new wealthy neighbour, Lucas, is found murdered and her hosts’ son, Oscar is the prime suspect. Convinced her childhood friend is no killer, Emma doggedly investigates, enlisting the reluctant help of her companions. As clues reveal more connections to Château Montfleur, Emma must tread a thin line between a dismissive chief inspector and a desperate killer.

Shadows in Chinatown by Jolie Tunnell

Karine Kelly’s dream of a fresh start as a mail-order bride in booming 1882 San Francisco becomes a nightmare when her charming Irish husband is murdered on their wedding night. Waking to destitute widowhood and fiercely angry in-laws, she discovers a series of shocking secrets that her husband left behind.

Why did he tell no one about their wedding? Why was a Chinese assailant hunting him and now stalking her? Why do residents in the city shadows seem to know more about her husband than she does? And why does the irritating Detective Max Fisher keep turning up like a bad penny?

Faced with appalling apathy and growing suspicion from the police, Karine’s determined to follow the trail of lies to find justice in a lawless city.

Warily working around each other as the killer strikes again, Karine and Detective Fisher uncover a sinister web of corruption, bigotry, and betrayals that circles ever closer to the jade pendant she wears over her heart—all that’s left of her husband’s pledge—and a ticking bomb that threatens to destroy Chinatown.

Still Life and Death by Tracy Gardner

A murder at the flower shop. An uncle suspected by the cops. Savanna and her sisters are on the case to make sure no one is framed.

Savanna Shepherd is delighted when her uncles Max and Freddie move to Carson and Uncle Max takes a job at Libby’s Blooms, where Savanna teaches a still life painting class. But while opening one morning, Uncle Max finds a dead body in the rooftop greenhouse…and even worse, it looks like an inside job.

It’s an uncomfortable spotlight for the family already trying to dodge a potential scandal brewing: Savanna’s boyfriend’s daughter is in her art class, setting off wagging tongues. Savanna and her sisters have no choice except to dig in to find the real murderer.

With their connections to the community and Savanna’s keen eye for details, they uncover longstanding resentments and a few subtle horticultural clues. But as Savanna’s investigation leads her into thorny situations, the killer may be arranging to prune yet another life: hers.

An artful cozy mystery perfect for fans of Krista Davis and Joanne Fluke.

The Intel by Kimberley Troutte

Rebel agent Heather Slade leads a dangerous and unsanctioned mission….

When Heather obtains partial intel about a prisoner of war camp from a journalist who dies before revealing the camp’s location, she’s desperate to know more. Her missing family might be held there. Using a voice-altering device to sound like billionare donor Martin Slade, she calls President Blockwell, demanding information about the secret camp. It’s a risky move that backfires when Blockwell’s guards lock Martin in an asylum to torture him for information that could compromise Heather.

Heather’s determined to rescue the billionaire, but HQ orders her to stand down. Their plan is to send a kill team after Martin to protect Heather’s secrets, ending her spy career and the chance to find her missing daughter. Disobeying HQ’s orders, she organizes an off-book mission with agents Miguel Robles, Worm, and Raven to infiltrate the hospital and extract Martin.

If HQ learns she’s inside, they could trigger her kill device, ending more than her career. Heather must stay one step ahead of HQ, but she’s committed to saving Martin and herself…if she survives the insane asylum.

The Other Boy by Heidi Field

When the worst comes calling…

Scott and Blair Bagby are a happy, successful English couple living in the suburbs with their teenage son and Great Dane. Life seems good, until one beautiful spring morning when a detective inspector knocks on their door asking if their son is home, unleashing an unspeakable horror that blows apart the life they thought they had.

Police have discovered bodies buried deep in the Peasedale forest and the inspector suspects one is Jamie, the final victim of a brutal and prolific serial killer. But Jamie’s death is unlike all the others, starting with his emergency phone call that leads to a macabre burial ground near a dilapidated hunting shack and creates shocking suspicions.

With bone deep grief threatening to destroy their marriage and their sanity, Scott and Blair set out to investigate Jamie’s death, a journey that not only upends their perceptions of who they are, but torturously reveals they may not have known Jamie at all…