The Jewel of the North

by Peter King

This ingenious new series features Jack London, the legendary author of The Call of the Wild, in a mystery as thrilling as his fiction.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451203836
• ISBN13: 9780451203830
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Historical Mystery

Peter King has written an excellent tale about Jack London and turn of the century San Francisco. The story is fast paced and exciting with enough mystery and intrique to make you want to read the whole thing in one night. I would highly recommend it to all mystery lovers.

A fine rading experience

Jack London visits the back stage of San Francisco's Midway Plaisance where his girlfriend Little Egypt teaches dance to the other ladies. However, their interlude ends when the corpse of Jenny Morris is found in a nearby room. SFPD Captain O'Donnell leads the investigation, which is a major surprise to Jack as Barbary Coast dancers are not worth more than a sergeant heading any police inquiries. Jack learns a second girl also was killed with the same MO at another establishment. Not long afterward San Francisco Mayor Nelson sneaks into Oakland where Jack lives to hire the writer to conduct an investigation into the murders. Nelson explains that the city is bringing in some quality talents who upon learning about the homicides lean towards canceling the engagements. Knowing cancellations are bad for his reelection efforts, Nelson believes Jack with his contacts throughout the Barbary Coast can uncover the identity of the killer. Needing the money Jack accepts the job, but soon finds himself in danger as the killings involve a lot more than just a lunatic killer. THE JEWEL OF THE NORTH is an excellent historical mystery that brings to life the unsavory side of the 1890s in San Francisco. The star Jack London (before his famous novels) is perfect for the role of sleuth because of the great author's lifestyle, which is cleverly intertwined into the plot. The cast from the dancers to the Mayor adds depth to the colorful story line. Peter King has provided sub-genre fans with a gourmet delight starring a writing great who seems more at home as a sleuth than several other famous authors converted into fictional detectives.Harriet Klausner