this was a really good read, and I loved going through this mystery, I would love to see more in this series as I really enjoyed this one.

Princess Fuzzypants here: If you are looking for something different and good, I can recommend this book. The two protagonists are a man and women back in the years before the turn of the 20th Century who are partners in a detective agency and are preparing to marry each other in less than a month. When Quinncannon receives a job offer that is too good to refuse, it means a delay in the wedding. However, the reward for the job is too enticing so he leaves Sabina behind while he journeys to a gold mine to find out who is stealing newly mined gold right out from under the ground. It is an undercover operation that forces him to go into the bowels of the earth.
He is getting close to figuring things out when he is hit on the head and accused of murdering one of his suspects. Using his skills, he is not only able to turn the tables on the bad guys but also solve the crime.
While he is busy in the gold fields, Sabina is enticed by a mystery of her own. In following up on her suspicions, she is able to put not one but two separate felons away. In her off the record investigations, she also stumbles across some information and unbeknownst to each other, both Quinncannon and Sabina end up in the same place and are able to bring the mastermind of the gold con to justice.
The characters are great. She is a very modern woman in a backward time and he struggles to assist in her battles against social restrictions. Their relationship is highly entertaining, the cases on which they work are fascinating and the stories are a great way to spend several hours.
Five purrs and two paws up.

historical-novel, historical-research, historical-setting, mining, California

Not an unbiased review as I really like the work of Bill Pronzini. This is one of an interrelated series but, other than the wedding plans between John Quincannon and Sabina Carpenter of their investigative agency, there is nothing to make it a problem for a reader to just hop in with any of the series. In this one it is 1898 and the assignment is to ferret out thieving in a deep mine in California and simultaneously expose a real estate con. Good background research and a fine story with all sorts of characters. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Stolen Gold Affair by Bill Pronzini is the eighth in the Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery series, and a wonderful entry it is. It is 1898 and San Francisco, California. John and Sabrina have been partners for years and are about to legalize their relationship as well. the wedding is just three weeks off when John Quincannon accepts a job that could keep him out of town for four weeks or more. He expects he will solve it in a week or so but breaking the news to Sabrina will not be an enjoyable task. Sabrina, being her usual level-headed self, accepts the news graciously. It is a lucrative job, after all. A man named Everett Hoxley has hired them to find out who is running a high-grading operation out of his mine, costing him dearly. High-grading is another word for ferreting gold out of the mines surreptitiously, for personal gain. Of course the man was upset.

Quincannon was a little old and a little out of practice for the physical labor than came with going undercover for this assignment. That and the fact that he didn't drink made him somewhat of an oddity with the other miners. But her was stubborn and smart and it wasn't many days before he had pinpointed the guilty parties. Next he needed proof. Things were complicated by the fact that there was no telegraph available in Patch Creek so Sabrina could not forward research to him, nor could he send her messages assuring her of his well-being. Both of them being independent and intelligent this proved to be a minor inconvenience. They are a wonderful couple. The idea of them being private investigators at this point in history was a hard mouthful for many to swallow but they had a good reputation and a lucrative business, and well as both being personally resourceful. Now they were to marry. Both were very happy abut that fact: John, a confirmed bachelor, and Sabrina, a widow who never expected to love again. They are a wonderful couple and this is a wonderful series. I recommend it. It is one of my favorite periods in history and this series definitely hits the high points!

I received a free ARC of The Stolen Gold Affair from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thestolengoldaffair

Fans of the historical mystery will enjoy this quick and entertaining read set in San Francisco and the gold fields of California at the end of the 19th Century. John Quincannon and Sabina Carpenter run an investigative agency and are planning their wedding when he's asked to look into a ring of thieves in a mining operation. He goes undercover (love the details and would have liked even more about the mining) while she stays beyond. Lest you think Sabine isn't busy, she's got her eye on a real estate scam. No spoilers but there's a lot in this relatively slim volume. Pronzini knows how to tell a story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Most enjoyable.

Bill Pronzini never disappointed me and this story is no exception.
A gripping and entertaining novel with a vivid historical background and a great cast of characters.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed Pronzini's book. It was a fast paced detective novel set in the gold rush times of San Francisco.I was engrossed in the book until the final page. I look forward to Pronzini's next book.