Trouble is Sailing into Old Town, San Diego…

My debut historical fiction novel, New Trouble in Old Town: A Lucy McBride Mystery, combines real-life 19th-century Old Town citizens and landmarks with characters from my imagination. This meticulously researched novel was inspired by my otherworldly experience in Old Town’s El Campo Santo Cemetery.

Set in San Diego,1868, the story follows sophisticated newcomer, Lucy McBride, and her clever chaperone, Yingwu Wei, who arrive from San Francisco only to find themselves entangled in a suspicious death. Still very much the “wild west,” where bullfights in the Plaza de Armas and public hangings (poor Yankee Jim!) in El Campo Santo Cemetery are everyday spectacles, the duo must adapt to the rough-and-ready ways of the tiny, frontier town while conducting their own amateur—and often comical—investigation. Throw in a dashing, blue-eyed deputy, and Lucy’s quickly in deeper than she bargained for.

While visiting Old Town, Miss Lucy’s adventures include:

• Dancing the Fandango at Casa de Estudillo

• Attending the Tanner Theater Troupe’s premier performance

• Participating in a spooky séance at the Whaley House

• Causing mayhem in the saloon at the Franklin House

Early readers have praised the novel’s blend of humor, history, and mystery. One reviewer wrote,

“It’s rare to find a book that is both entertaining and educational.”

New Trouble in Old Town is currently available as an eBook and paperback on Amazon and coming soon to The Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House and the gift shops of Old Town, San Diego.