In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

source: free ARC via Bethany House (Twitter)
title: In Places Hidden
author: Tracie Peterson
published: Bethany House Publishers (March 6, 2018)
pages: 316
genre: Christian fiction/historical mystery/romance
first line: San…Fran…cisco!
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:

The search for her missing brother leads to the most dangerous part of the city . . .

Camrianne Coulter’s brother Caleb is a successful San Francisco attorney. But when three months go by without a word from the usually communicative Caleb, Camri boards a train to the booming West Coast city to find out for herself why he hasn’t written. When she arrives at his home, nobody seems to know where he is, or what has become of him.

Camri’s search for her brother leads her deep into the political corruption of the city–and into the acquaintance of Patrick Murdock, who Caleb successfully defended from a false murder charge. Getting to know this handsome Irish contractor challenges all of Camri’s privileged beliefs, but Patrick is unshakably loyal to her brother, and he seems to know more about what happened to Caleb than anyone else. As the two edge closer to the truth behind Caleb’s disappearance, they risk angering the powerful forces that control the city. Can Camri trust Patrick to protect her from the dangers that lie hidden in San Francisco’s backstreets?

my thoughts:
As In Places Hidden (Golden Gate Secrets) starts off Camrianne Coulter is on her way to her brother’s home in San Fransisco. Caleb Coulter has been missing for months and Camri is trying to see if she can find out what happened to him. She is fearing the worst since her brother always keeps some form of contact. On the train ride to San Fran, she meets Judith and Kenzie and the three ladies quickly become friends. Camri invites them to stay with her at Caleb’s house while they get their own affairs in order. The three ladies find work at a local candy factory as Camri continues the search for Caleb.

Camri is well-educated and she is a suffragette and as soon as she meets Judith and Kenzie on the train she wants to help them if she can. Once in San Fransisco she also meets Patrick Murdock and his sister Ophelia who are friends of her brother’s.

I liked Camri. After meeting Judith, Kenzie, Patrick and his sister she reflects on how she can sometimes come off as condescending. She comes to realize that not everyone wants the same things out of life and that is okay. Her character grows this way throughout the story.

“Back in Chicago, Camri had often lectured younger women on the importance of education and securing for themselves the ability to master their own destinies. With God’s help, of course. She was never one to believe a person could do anything without divine guidance.”
p.190, In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

 

I liked Patrick’s character also, he easily falls for Camri but is worried she could never love an Irishman with no education and little money. Their romance was sweet and flowed naturally. Plus he’s got an Irish brogue, bonus points for that.

“His eyes betrayed such longing that she thought her heart might stop beating all together.”
p.225, In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

I enjoyed In Places Hidden. The writing flowed smoothly and I was easily swept away to early 1900’s San Francisco. It was nice Christian historical romance with a strong heroine, a sweet hero and mystery in the mix. There are also important themes woven into the plot such as women’s rights and human trafficking.

The mystery was solved really creatively and I had no clue what was coming but it made sense. I think Caleb needs his own book where we can see his experiences from his point of view.  In Places Hidden is the start of  Tracie Peterson’s Golden Gate Series. The ending ties things up yet leaves room for the supporting characters to have their own books. Book two in this series called In Dreams Forgotten is due out in July. Very pretty covers on these books as well by the way.

About the author:
Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana. Learn more at www.traciepeterson.com.

Special thanks to Bethany House for my review copy.

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disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received my free copy of  In Places Hidden via  Bethany House.
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