The police say he fell. Vivian knows the steps better than that.
A sharp-eyed retired teacher. A dead developer. A San Francisco staircase full of secrets.
Vivian Salvatore is fifty-two, newly divorced, and trying to begin again on Telegraph Hill with a cat named Burgess, a daily coffee ritual, and a book about Dashiell Hammett she cannot seem to finish.
Then she finds Bradford Loeb dead on the Filbert Steps.
Loeb was a powerful developer with his eye on three beloved North Beach corners: the deli, the cobbler, and the old espresso bar that still anchors the neighborhood. The police are ready to call his death an accident. Vivian is not so sure.
A coat buttoned wrong. A cigarette where it should not be. A missing glove. A scrap of ribbon. And a neighborhood full of people who had reason to want Loeb gone.
As Vivian starts asking questions, she uncovers old loyalties, hidden deals, quiet griefs, and the dangerous question at the heart of a changing city: who gets to stay, and who gets pushed out?
The Filbert Steps is a warm, atmospheric San Francisco mystery featuring an older amateur sleuth, a vivid neighborhood cast, a fair-play investigation, and cozy charm with literary depth.
A good fit for readers who enjoy Louise Penny-style mysteries, Richard Osman’s warm ensemble casts, older women sleuths, found community, neighborhood secrets, and character-driven mysteries with heart.
