From the Ashes by Sabrina Flynn

From the Ashes
by Sabrina Flynn

ISBN-13: 9781955207027
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace
Released: May 23, 2014

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
San Francisco, 1900. Atticus Riot returns home with death on his heels and grief in his heart. After twenty years of roaming the Barbary Coast, the gambler-turned detective is about to toss the game for good. But the case of a missing heiress draws him in its wake. As he searches for the elusive Isobel Kingston, all is not what it seems, and he is sure to clash in a battle of wits and murder that will send his life spiraling down a most perplexing path.


My Review:
From the Ashes is a mystery set in 1900 in San Francisco. Atticus Riot doesn't think he's clever compared to his (now dead) detective agency partner, but he's very good at observing details, finding clues, and getting people to tell him useful information. He wishes he was better at preventing crime, not just solving it, so he's determined to find the kidnapped woman before she's killed.

We also got the point of view of the woman who was kidnapped. She tried to work out who ordered her abduction even as she resourcefully worked to save herself--from her kidnappers but also from society's social expectations of a young, well-to-do woman. There's suspense from the physical danger she faced. Her part of the story was timed so it didn't spoil the enjoyment of watching Riot figure out the clues. Historical details were woven into the story to immerse you in the time and place.

There was no sex (though prostitutes played a small role in the mystery). There was a fair amount of bad language (about 1 every 8 pages). Overall, I'd recommend this engaging mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.