A Mrs. Kelly Mystery, Book Two
Determined to carve out a respectable life for herself in the raw and unforgiving world of 1882 San Francisco, widowed Mrs. Kelly bakes for the Palace Hotel and rents an apartment with Miss Smith, who manages a fancy glove shop. But a fateful trip to fisherman’s wharf with her friend and the discovery of a dead woman tangled in a net with a bible, once again throws her into the cooly critical Detective Max Fisher’s path.
Although Mrs. Kelly has no intention of pursuing the case, Miss Smith’s employer is brutally slain and a hidden stash of gold coins surfaces in the glove shop. Detective Fisher’s suspicious gaze turns toward Miss Smith when clues—from the vicious Barbary Coast to a chilling orphanage to treacherous whaling ships—tie her to both murders.
Desperate to exonerate her friend, though Detective Fisher doesn’t trust her, Mrs. Kelly faces danger as she unravels the truth and reveals that Miss Smith’s role in the murders may be more complicated than previously imagined. The more Mrs. Kelly uncovers, the closer she comes to being trapped in the killer’s net of greed, betrayal, and revenge.
You can leave a review for Death on the Wharf here!
Cathy Donaldson – Goodreads ★★★★★
Jolie Tunnell provides another amazing suspense mystery with a sprinkling of comedy throughout. She once again has spunky characters that she develops throughout the story. I appreciate the snappy dialog between Mrs.Kelly and Detective Fisher and look forward to their interactions in the next book in this series. There are many twists in the plot that keep you reading until you are finished.
As always she presents an authentic look at the culture of the day regarding the role of women, care of orphans and brothels. She includes commercial fishing vocabulary and techniques that help move the story along, especially the information on the different types on nets. I appreciate the symbolism of the cormorant seen at the beginning of the story and at the end of the story, it adds an additional layer to consider.
I highly recommend Death on the Wharf,and can’t wait for the next one in this series.
Ruth McDaniel – Goodreads ★★★★★
Wow. There’s so much to say about this new book in the Mrs Kelly series.
Jolie Tunnell had done a fantastic job and is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
In ‘Death at the Wharf’, Mrs Kelly is now living above a shop at the hotel where she works with a young friend named Becky who runs the glove shop below them.
They are at the wharf one morning on a fish run for the hotel when they discover a woman’s body tangled in a net attached to a pier piling. Of course, Mrs Kelly immediately goes into investigation mode and what ensues is far beyond what anyone expects.
There are a great many twists and turns in this story and many red herrings.
Worst of all, it might be Mrs Kelly’s own roomie Becky who is the perpetrator! Could it be?
Read this story and find out. You definitely won’t be sorry.
Lesley– Goodreads ★★★★
Death at the Wharf was an interesting historical suspense novel with a number of deaths as well as twists which had me guessing the outcome right to the final pages .
I enjoyed the interaction of Mrs Kelly with Detective Fisher, she is a fearsome force but has an ability to think outside the square and find solutions.
The plot set in San Franscisco involves a number of issues , around prostitution , violence against women , sea traders and women’s rights and author Jolie Tunnell has written a novel which will appeal to anyone who enjoys an historical thriller . The characters are well rounded and Tunnell’s script conveys the tension and intensity necessary to envelop the reader in the atmosphere and conditions of the day .
Paula W – Kobo ★★★★★
Death at the Wharf is the second book in the Mrs. Kelly Series by Jolie Tunnell. Just as great as the first book with as many guilty characters of something, just not the ones that Karine or as she is known as Mrs. Kelly is trying to solve. San Francisco 1882 is not for the faint of heart, I admire Mrs. Kelly for leaving home to make her way there. Now it is now as she planned but she is a resourceful person. Told from her point of view this is one fun while also making you think kind of mystery. It is also an addictive series so be prepared to get hooked. What should have been a simple fish market pickup for the Palace Hotel where Mrs. Kelly bakes turns into finding a dead body, then has a dispute with Detective Fisher. From there she can’t help herself but continue to research the leads in the case. Before long another murder happens. The more she investigates the more complicated the case becomes. The concluding events are madcap with so much going on along with so many red herrings. By the end all is solved and Mrs. Kelly seems to have made new appreciative acquaintances.
Susan L – Amazon ★★★★★
Death at the Wharf is a very exciting and suspenseful story. It is the second book in Jolie Tunnell’s fabulous series, A Mrs. Kelly Mystery. I am enjoying this series very much…. This is an exciting story set in a period of history when things were so different. There were no modern conveniences. The apartment was very basic. Mrs. Kelly was unique for the times. She was outspoken, brave and not afraid to go head to head with the detectives. She was very smart and able to figure out things that the police missed. Rebecca was a lot more meek towards men and her elders. The mystery had so many twists and surprises. Jolie is an excellent writer who shares with her reader what life was like in 1882 in San Franciscon. She created a very complicated situation with lots of suspense. We had met many of characters in the previous book and it was nice to see them again. I look forward to book 3. This is a five star book I thoroughly enjoyed.
Love2Read– Amazon ★★★★★
Mrs. Kelly, the former Karine Halvorsdatter Torkelson Langland, minding her own business and making a pickup for her employer, the Palace Hotel, happens upon a corpse floating off the wharf. That’s just the beginning of a complicated mystery. She finds herself working to solve the murder, with or without the approval and cooperation of Detective Maximilian P. Fisher.
This is book two in the Mrs. Kelly Mystery series. It’s involved, detailed, and a wonderful unveiling of crimes in 19th century San Francisco. Mrs. Kelly is a delightful character. She intelligent, talented, and she has a true knack for solving mysteries, seeing things others miss.
This book brings back several characters from the first book in the series. They form a wonderful ensemble cast for this book. I look forward to seeing them return in a third entry into this series. The writing in this book is excellent. It’s a real page turner. I doubt anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries will be disappointed by this book.
Siawilin– Amazon ★★★★
Having followed Mrs. Kelly from the Lavinia series, it has been great to see this character more fully developed in her own series. While book 1 of this series held me up later at night, Mrs. Kelly’s activities and interactions in her younger years definitely explain more of her later ones. Having befriended a young lady, she gets tangled up in a murder. The interaction that happens between her and Max the police detective leaves me with suspicions of a future romance, though their relationship is definitely abrasive now. I’m waiting for the next book of the series!
Sugar J.J.– Amazon ★★★★★
If you like nail-biting plots with historical themes and strong female sleuths, Mrs. Kelly may become your new favorite series. In Death at the Wharf, her new friend and roommate is caught up in something larger than expected, and Mrs. Kelly has to figure out what are lies and what is truth. The story is set in old San Francisco and the reader feels like they are living in the days of horses and buggies and whaling ships and bustled gowns. This book only uses “damn” or “hell” in a few places, and otherwise the swearing is implied (as in “I said a bad word”). Although part of the conflict involves the city’s brothels, any illicit activity is not depicted, only implied. I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
Willow– Amazon ★★★★★
When widowed Mrs. Kelly begins her new life as a baker for the prestigious Palace Hotel in San Francisco, she never imagined that an innocent trip, with her flatmate Miss Smith, to Fisherman’s Wharf to pick up the hotel’s fish order would result in the discovery of a body in the water.
Mrs Kelly has no intention of investigating the murder until Miss Smith’s employer is also found murdered and the two deaths appear to be connected- by Miss Smith!
This was a wonderful book! Having lived in Northern California, I was pleasantly surprised that the author was able to bring back memories of the Palace Hotel and San Francisco’s “Barbary Coast” area
Mrs Kelly is a wonderful character- sassy and independent. Very different from the women of that time, Mrs Kelly’s attitude kept me reading and the conclusion was quite a surprise! I highly recommend this book!
Robin S– Amazon ★★★★★
Mrs. Kelly and her roommate Becky are getting supplies for the Palace Hotel when they discover a woman’s body beneath the pier. When Becky’s boss is murdered and gold coins are discovered hidden in the gloves of her shop, can Mrs. Kelly find the real culprit despite being warned off by Detective Max Fisher? Lots of action, a few red herrings, and many twists and turns keep the reader guessing! I am really enjoying this series, and am looking forward to the next mystery!