suspense, thriller, private-investigators, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, law-enforcement, lawyers, greed, murder, murder-investigation****

There was more than the glass eyed skeleton in that joining wall. There was a hoard of gold coins as well! The mystery was pretty good, but I felt lost among the recurring characters as this was the first of the books in the Silver Rush series that I've encountered. Still, I really enjoyed the mystery and all of the historical aspects.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I truly cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this author. This was a truly great book.

Suspense, intrigue and just a touch of what-the-heck??? I loved the strong female characters, rich atmosphere and gripping details.

I enjoyed reading this book. I was unaware that it is part of a series, but will be looking up the other books before it. That being said, although there was mention of things that had happened before, The Secret in the Wall reads perfectly as a stand alone novel. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but the pace picked up fairly quickly. They mystery involves a lot of historical facts and information and I found that to be interesting. All in all this was a good read that I will recommend to my historical fiction reading friends.

Brilliant use of historical facts to weave a tale that kept me reading and wondering what was going to happen next. And bringing Alcatraz history into the mix. I never knew it was a military prison. Inez is one brave and smart woman. I enjoy reading this series, and highly recommend it to everyone.

A great vintage mystery to pass the time with, especially if you were a Nancy Drew fan, this is full of hidden rooms and secret hallways. A great read for historical mystery lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my ARC.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Poisoned Pen Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Suspenseful, thrilling, will keep you guessing.

The Secret in the Wall is a book with lots of suspense and intrigue. The story takes place in San Francisco. The main character, Inez Stannert owns the D&S House of Music and Oriental Curiosities. She has bought a house as an investment with Moira Krause from Bertram Taylor who inherited the house from his father who is a sea captain.. It is a twin house which Mrs. Krause owns the other part that she runs as a boarding house.. The supporting characters all add to the story with secrets of their own. Upon breaking through the wall between the two houses they discover a body with a bag of coins. This is where the story goes on the adventure to find out who the man is. There is a mystery about this house which involves a hidden stairway and rooms. Antonia is Inez's 12 year old ward and Charlotte, Moira's daughter become friends and go on their own adventure discovering the hidden rooms and look for the treasure that is suppose to be in them. The story comes to an interesting finish with the discovery of the treasure and who the skeleton is and who murdered Mr. Harris a locksmith who has been caretaker for Mr. Taylor.

The book had interesting characters and kept the reader wanting to know about the rooms and treasure.

Thank you Net Galley and Poison Pen Press for this ARC,

The Secret in the Walls took a while to get off the ground. By the time the mystery really kicked off, it had been a bit of a blunder to get through.

The characters are interesting, but the story should have stayed with Inez instead of occasionally shifting to Antonia. However, the budding romance between Inez and investigator Walter de Brujin is deftly handled for the period.

Unfortunately, the mystery just wasn't prominent enough to keep me invested, nor the characters. Since this is the eighth in a series, it seems that having read previous installments would have allowed me to ascertain knowledge on the characters and setting that I didn't get in the one. Not to say this can't be read as a standalone, but it might not pack the oomph if you'd read the whole series.

This is a great historical mystery, I really enjoyed it! There is great attention to detail, and I felt transported through time. Inez is a strong woman, even more so in that time period. We follow along with her as she helps other women and becomes guardian to young Antonia. A skeleton is found in a wall with a bag of gold. There is a mystery to solve, and this is where we start to see from both Inez and Antonia’s perspectives. There is a touch of romance to sweeten this adventure in the past. A very satisfying read!

I really enjoyed this! Took me quite a while to read as there was a lot of information & characters to digest but i was so invested in the story, especially when the POV was from the young girls & they go treasure hunting, reminded me so much of my childhood. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Inez Stannert, a strong woman in the late 1800's in San Francisco lends out money to women who want to start or develop their businesses. She is also the guardian of 12 year old Antonia, a feisty but terrible insubordinate young girl. During one of her ventures, a skeleton with a bag of gold is discovered in a hidden wall between two houses, and this is the beginning of a search for the identity of the walled man. Both Inez and Antonia will start their own investigation, unbeknownst to each other.

I did like the writing in the period style; a lot of words and expressions are related to French and that was very pleasantly surprising to read. The author clearly has made a lot of effort to get all the details like speech, clothing and culture just right and that elevated the book to a high standard.

However, in the second half, a lot of attention is given to the American Civil War, and maybe because I'm European and my knowledge about it is restricted to basically the first few sentences on Wiki (and guiltily admitting to having watched "North and South" as a teen), I lost interest in the mystery that had the war at its heart. Also, I really didn't like the characters of Antonia and Charlotte who were just selfish and pretty silly, no matter who often you read how clever Antonia is. To me, they were just little brats.

Good, but not exceptional.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

When the house next door comes up for sale, Moira looks into getting a loan so she can expand her boarding house. Inez, a successful business woman in her own right, steps up to help Moira, as she likest o help other women start their own businesses.

As the contraction to connect the two homes commences, a body is found in the wall between the two homes. Now Inez and Moira’s girls are on the case and the sleuthing begins.

This one started out and stayed on drag for awhile, but then it picked up. However, I think that could partly be because this is the eight entry in this series, yet the first one I have read. But I really love the time period and setting..San Francisco is my FAVORITE city in the World. I also really love the early take on women helping women succeed…go Inez! That said, I will check out the first book and see how it goes and catch up fro there.

This is book 8 in the Silver Rush series. I would recommend reading several of the books in the series before this one. I haven't read any of the previous stories and I felt a little lost. Set in San Francisco, Moria has decided to expand her boarding house with the abandoned building next door and discovers a body in the wall with the first hammer swing. Then the locksmith is murdered and it seems her idea to expand is doomed to failure. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Secret in the Wall (Silver Rush #8) by Ann Parker
Expected publication: February 15th 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press

Inez Stannert, owner of the D&S House of Music and Oriental Curiosities, agrees to finance Moira Krause’s expansion of her boarding house into the adjoining home. As a group gathers to watch the symbolic opening of the common wall, a skeleton and a sack of gold coins falls from the opening. The quest is on to determine who the corpse is, where the money came from, and who placed the corpse in the wall.

Parker has written a delightful historical fiction/murder mystery. Set in 1882 in San Francisco, the landscape comes alive as Parker weaves pirates and the Civil War into the story. Two young girls, Charlotte and Antonia, are the explorers of the mystery, going places they shouldn’t and uncovering clues but unable to share them because they are misbehaving. It’s a nice balance between the adults’ search for meaning and the children’s fantasies about pirates and pirates’ booty.

I enjoyed the character of Inez most. She is a complicated character who lends money only to women who want to start businesses. Her sordid past is hinted at, but never truly revealed. The Secret in the Wall is a fun, easy read. I recommend the book and give it 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Parker and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc widget. I have provided my honest review in return.

A book with no description, an eerie title, and an intriguing cover! Sign me up! Let’s start off by saying this is 8th in a series that I haven’t read but I did not feel lost at any point so can be read as a stand-alone. I love historical reads so I was incredibly excited to read this. It was slow at times but not at all dull. It’s about another adventure for the main character in expanding her boardinghouse. There’s a lot going on and many characters. A slow burn if you will… but I suggest trying it out!

The Secret in the Wall is a thrilling, adventurous story of secrets and murder. I have been a fan of mysteries ever since my mom read me stories of Nancy Drew as I was growing up and have always dreamed of having a house with secret rooms and hidden hallways. I was able to experience that dream through reading this book!

The story is set in the 1800s. Our main character, Inez, is a single woman originally from Colorado who moved to San Francisco and lives with Antonia. Inez owns a music store and gives loans to women who also want to start their own businesses. Antonia is a young girl who loves pirates and mysteries. When Inez buys the property next to hers they decide to tear down the wall between the buildings (where they are connected by a pantry). That’s when a skeleton and a bag of gold falls out of the wall and the adventure to solve the mystery begins!

The first few chapters were a bit slow for me and I had a hard time getting lost in the story at first. It did get better as the book went on, though. If you enjoy historical novels or pretty much any type of mystery, this is a book for you! As I researched this book, I discovered Inez is a character from another series called The Silver Rush Mysteries. However, you do not need to have read the other books to understand what is taking place in this one.

The Secret in the Wall will be published on February 15, 2022, by Poisoned Pen Press.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Moira Krause wants to expand her boardinghouse and buy the adjoining house, Inez Stannert becomes her partner and financial backer. On paper signing day when the adjoining wall is to be demolished the women are surprised to find a dead body buried with a bag of gold coins. No one knows whose body it is but believe it to be related to the owner who just died. When Moira's daughter and Inez's ward, two curious little girls begin to investigate they uncover some destressing items they keep secret but when another person is murdered things take a turn for the worse.
A delightful mystery that takes readers back to the time of the war and pirates. Likeable characters and 2 curious girls make for an intensely good story. I enjoyed the story and would love to read more from this author.

When Inez Stannert agrees to assist Moira Krause in the purchase of the house next door in order to expand her boarding house, neither woman knew what drama would ensue. When Moira employs someone to take down the wall between her current boarding house and the adjacent one recently purchased, out falls a skeleton with a glass eye, confederate clothing, and a bag of gold. What happens next includes: secret rooms, burglary, and murder. I was impressed with the amount of research that had to be conducted by the author in order to make this a historical mystery. I didn’t realize that this book is part of a series, and I will be investigating the other books as I found this one enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a fantastic story, full of adventure, secrets and murder. I love a good murder mystery, especially one steeped in history. I have always wanted a house with secret rooms and hidden passages. The author took care to really research the area and the time this is set in, drawing from true stories to create this one and its wonderful.

The story is set in the late 1800s. I love this time period. So much innovation and excitement happening after the Civil War. Inez Stannert is a single woman from Leadville, Colorado who now lives in San Francisco with her young ward, Antonia. Inez owns a successful music shop and a loan business to female entrepreneurs. Antonia is a strong willed, adventure seeking girl who loves pirate stories and spy mysteries, When Inez goes into a business venture with Moira Krause to buy the adjacent property to hers things go awry. They decide to bust open the wall between the properties where the pantries are to connect them. As they do a skeleton and a bag of gold tumbles out. Everyone is taken aback by the discovery and Inez and Moira set out to discover just who this man was.

The house is locked tight and the body removed. Harris and son, the local locksmith, having the only keys. One night The older Harris is murdered and the keys stolen. Inez cannot figure out why this would happen unless someone knew more about the supposed treasure that was found there. Inez hires a lawyer, and enlists the help of a private detective to help find out the identity of the skeleton. I love the descriptions of the setting as well. You can really tell how much research the author did on the time period. Including the Palace Hotel, Alcatraz, and the SF Mint.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and if you enjoy fictional historical mysteries, I suggest you check this one out. It is a page turner that will not disappoint. Inez is apparently a character from another series called The Silver Rush Mysteries and now I must read those as well. I very much look forward to more from this author.