Ambrose Bierce and the Trey of Pearls

Oakley Hall is a modern-day Sir Arthur Conan Doyle whose works have been acclaimed by everybody from Michael Chabon to Diane Johnson. In his latest Ambrose Bierce mystery, three young, beautiful orators known as “The Trey of Pearls” come to San Francisco in 1892 to advocate women’s suffrage, whipping the burly city of pioneers and railroad men into a lather. When the famous women’s advocate Reverend Divine is found murdered, Ambrose and his indomitable sidekick Tom Redmond must navigate the heavy seas of free love, the politics of a minister’s harem, and the secrets of California’s rough and ready frontier past to uncover the truth. Cunningly plotted and rich with period detail, this historical mystery confirms Hall’s reputation as a master of the genre.