The Secret in the Wall is the 8th Silver Rush cozy mystery by Ann Parker. Released 15th Feb 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 400 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a solidly plotted, character driven historical cozy set in San Francisco in the late 19th century. Main protagonist Inez Stannart is a financial partner in a boarding house venture when renovations on the house uncover a skeleton and a fortune in gold coins hidden in a wall. There are soon murders, mistaken identities, betrayals, theft, spies, and more skullduggery piling on top of the mysterious skeleton in the wall. The buildup and resolution/denouement were a bit more sombre than is usual for cozy mysteries, but still well done and satisfying.
There is no very explicit on page content. The language is slightly salty, especially for the time period and the fact that this is a historical cozy. One of the murders is quite gory, but the violence occurs off-page and is not written objectionably. Despite being the 8th book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone self-contained mystery. The author is adept at giving necessary back-story without info dumping or spoon feeding readers.
Four stars. Engaging and worth a look for fans of historical cozies.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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