Saban, Cheryl.

Sins of the Mother. Dove Books, 1997.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: Alison Young | find it |

Sacher, Jerry.

The Saint of San Francisco. Dreamspinner Press, 2011.

| setting: San Francisco (Castro) | tpo | find it |

Sachs, Marilyn.

At the Sound of the Beep. Dutton Children’s Books, 1990.

Safónov, Madeleine. [see Dodge, Alice M.]

Salter, Ken.

Dancing With the Ice Lady. Regent Press, 2017.

Summary: Skip trace investigator R.C. Bean works for a bumbling, alcoholic divorce attorney. He's asked to trace hidden assets to help their client, Gloria Simmons, defeat a prenuptial agreement. Gloria is the the sexy, scheming wife of a local black, playboy mortician who's hooked on gambling, drugs and a pretty Asian bookkeeper who's been installed in his funeral business by Asian drug dealers to monitor a joint venture. Things get nasty fast as a drive-by shooting in the mortuary's parking lot gets covered up and the client's mortician husband is plugged full of holes at the entrance to the funeral home while R.C. Bean is doing a a bag job inside on the home's financial records. R.C. Bean soon realizes that whoever eliminated his client's husband is on his trail and the killers seek to rub him out, too. Now begins a roller coaster-like series of events as R. C. tries to stay a step ahead of his pursuers while trying to unmask the murderers. Has his client, who uses her dark beauty and racy ways to seduce his boss, ordered the hit on her husband? Are she and her attorney lover involved? Are the husband's Asian drug partners calling the shots? The chase for answers leads to the seamy sides of the Las Vegas Strip as R.C. Bean uses his street contacts and enlists a beautiful, cinnamon-skinned barmaid to help his solve the murders. Or so he thinks!

Murder in the Campanile. Regent Press, 2018.

Summary: R.C. Bean now works as a private eye for various attorneys and their clients. Melanie Richards is a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley, who is being pressured by her thesis advisor for sex. Before R.C. can help her, she is brutally murdered in the Campanile on campus. Is she the victim of her jealous husband? Was she silenced by the professor who propositioned her to avoid a scandal or the professor who used her to enact his sexual fantasies? Things get nasty fast as R.C. probes the complex, secret world of sexual politics that exists in some university departments, where some students use sex to advance their careers and some professors use their position of power to seduce their students. As R.C. penetrates the murky world of sexual predators with the aid of his sexy, college student girlfriend, he realizes that he is being hunted by the killer just like his client.

Sanra, Nancy.

No Witnesses. Rising Tide Press, 1995.

No Escape. Rising Tide Press, 1998.

No Corpse. Rising Tide Press, 2000.

No Evidence. Bella, 2005.

Santiago, V. J.

Kill Or Be Killed. Pinnacle Books, 1976. (The Vigilante #3)

Santos, Emmanuel Tiongco.

Yamato's Ghosts. Self-published, 2018.

| setting: San Francisco | tpo | find it |

Summary: An elderly Asian-looking man, clad in an elegant kimono is found dead at the Presidio. Two of San Francisco's finest are dispatched to the scene of the crime. They ruled out "hara-kiri" or disembowelment. There are no witnesses. A lengthy investigation ensues, revealing the extensive and complex life of the victim, a Japanese-American, who was incarcerated in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor...

Sapala, Lauren.

West is San Francisco. Self-published, 2019.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: Leah (West Coast Trilogy 2) | tpo |

Summary: When Leah lands in San Francisco, she's hoping she can leave her past -- along with her broken-down life in Seattle -- behind. But what she can't run from is her present reality as an alcoholic on the downward spiral, and the strong future possibility that she might die in the gutter. So, she quits drinking and resolves to live a new life, determined to be a better person and resist the siren song of addiction, staying a few steps ahead of her demons all the while. But then Leah takes a job at a P.I. firm and her resolve is thoroughly tested. Instead of alcohol, she becomes addicted to work and the non-stop demands of the agency. In a desperate attempt to break the cycle, she answers a mysterious online ad calling for writers and ends up working as an assistant to serial entrepreneur Scarlet Monroe, a woman who seems almost too good to be true, and like everything Leah has always wanted to be. But when Leah is hired as Scarlet's personal assistant and gets in deeper with Scarlet and her cult-like company, the demons from her past come alive again, and this time they refuse to go away.

Sapir, Richard, and Warren Murphy.

Holy Terror. Pinnacle Books, 1975. (The Destroyer #19)

Saralegui, Jorge.

Last Rites. Charter Books, 1985.

Shadow Stalker. Charter Books, 1987.

Savage, Michael.

Abuse of Power. St. Martin’s Press, 2011.

| setting: San Francisco and elsewhere | series character: Jack Hatfield | find it |

Sawyer, Eugene T.

The Coleraine Tragedy, or, Caught in the Trap. Street & Smith, 1897.

Sawyer, Meryl.

A Kiss in the Dark. Dell, 1995.

Trust No One. Zebra Books/Kensington Publishing Corp., 2000.

Lady Killer. Zebra Books/Kensington Publishing Corp., 2004.

Sawyer, Robert J.

Frameshift. Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 1997.

Summary: A scientist in Berkeley, California discovers that a series of murders is the work of an insurance company. After collecting information on the genes of policy holders, the company analyzed them to see which ones were a bad risk and proceeded to kill them.

Saxby, Charles.

Death Joins the Woman’s Club. E.P. Dutton & Co., 1940.

| setting: San Carlos, San Francisco | find it |

Scalapino, Leslie. [see also Goda, Dee]

Dahlia’s Iris: Secret Autobiography and Fiction. Normal, Ill.: FC2, 2003.

Schaffer, Dylan.

Misdemeanor Man. Bloomsbury, 2004.

I Right the Wrongs: A Misdemeanor Man Mystery. Bloomsbury, 2005.

Scheers, Dom D.

Playing the Odds. The Book Reality Experience, 2019.

Summary: Ben Wieserkowski had planned to start small. Some adultery, maybe a child abduction, perhaps, if he stretched himself, a straightforward murder. Nothing too complex. But he'd been suckered by a smart mouth and a great pair of legs and though he knew he wasn't much of a Private Detective, he reckoned his good luck could go a long way in making up for his lack of skill. The problem was it turned out to be a setup. He'd copped a severe beating, but a couple of Freddy's goons had to be laying in traction -- at least one of them must have been in the burns unit. Somehow he had rescued her kid and saved Marcy's life, and in so doing had taken down his first psychopath. With the check, he'd signed a six-month lease and figured he could concentrate on writing the novel he knew was inside of him. That was before his front door was kicked in and two gun-wielding ass-hats started shooting at him. Now Ben finds himself between the Italian Mob and the Chinese Gangs and even his limited detective skills can figure out he's in a world of hurt. Can he uncover the murky goings-on in Fog City's corrupt underbelly before the criminals and every bent cop on the streets come gunning for him, or will Playing the Odds cost him more than a broken coffee table and a busted shoulder?

Schermerhorn, James.

Night of the Cat. St. Martin’s Press, 1993.

| setting: San Francisco | Hubin | find it |

Summary: Police officer Carrie Lubick, a onetime teacher who left the classroom to take care of San Francisco's seedy Southern district, is on the track of a rapist who preys on the most vulnerable victims of all: three elderly women, and now, a 12-year-old girl. When another policewoman with a memory for license-plate numbers places the same red '69 Ford near the scene of two assaults and a burning city block, Carrie suspects that the rapist and the arsonist may be the same.

Schezade, Harry. [Joseph Wong Cohen]

The Mystery of Eve. Regent Press, 1995.

Schneider, Bart.

Nameless Dame: Murder on the Russian River. Soft Skull Press, 2012.

| setting: Russian River Valley (Sonoma County) | series character: Augie Boyer | find it |

Scholten, Jenny.

Day Stripper. New Victoria Publishers, 2000.

Slay Me Tender. New Victoria Publishers, 2001.

Schopen, Bernard.

The Iris Deception. University of Nevada Press, 1996.

Summary: In this third Jack Ross mystery, the Reno private eye is hired by iris-eyed Patsy McLeod to resume a case abandoned as hopeless eighteen years earlier -- the search for her missing teenage daughter, Heather. This time, Ross's investigation leads him from a failed ranch in the desert north of Reno to Sacramento's porno film industry, from the Lake Tahoe homes of the wealthy and powerful to the cramped offices of Berkeley's activist community. On the way, he uncovers layers of deception, greed, corruption, sorrow -- and murder. Ross also encounters Martha Reedy, a Berkeley-based P.I. who is as dogged about finding Heather as Ross, but for different reasons. Both are used to working solo but find their paths hopelessly intertwined.

Schuepbach, Nancy.

Murder at the Mane Tamers. AuthorHouse, 2005.

Schulz, Monte.

Naughty. Fantagraphic Books, 2013.

| setting: San Francisco (1950s) | Based on the true story of Iva Kroeger and her husband Ralph, who were indicted for the murders of Mildred and Jay Arneson in 1962 | find it |

Schwartz, Dale J.

Kill Without Remorse. Writer’s Showcase, 2001.

Schwartz, Jinx.

Just Add Water. Self-published, 2005.

Summary: Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht and and she's not afraid to use it. She's a globe-trotting civil engineer with swath of failed multi-national affairs in her jet stream. Plying the San Francisco waterfront, trolling for triceps, her attention is snagged by a parade of passing yachts -- especially their predominantly male skippers -- and experiences a champagne-induced epiphany: If she had a boat, she could get a man. In spite of a spectacular ignorance of all things nautical, Hetta buys her dream boat, but a shadowy stalker, an inconvenient body, and Hetta's own self-destructive foibles, give a whole new meaning to the phrase "sink or swim!"

Schwartz, Stephen Jay.

Beat. Forge, 2010.

| setting: San Francisco, Los Angeles | series character: Hayden Glass | find it |

Scortia, Thomas N., and Frank M. Robinson.

The Nightmare Factor. Doubleday, 1978.

Scott, Kemble. [Scott James]

The Sower. Vox Novus/Numina Press, 2009.

| setting: San Francisco | find it |

Scott, Michele.

Murder Uncorked. Berkley Prime Crime, 2005.

Murder by the Glass. Berkley Prime Crime, 2006.

Silenced by Syrah. Berkley Prime Crime, 2007.

Corked by Cabernet. Berkley Prime Crime, 2009.

A Toast to Murder. Berkley Prime Crime, 2010.

Scott, Robbie.

The Mystery of Rascal Pratt. Greenwich Mill Publishing, 2007.

Scott, Thurston. [George Thurston Leite and Jody Scott]

Cure It With Honey. Harper, 1951.

Searls, Hank.

The Adventures of Mike Blair: A Dime Detective Book. The Mysterious Press, 1988.

Sears, Ruth McCarthy.

In the Shadow of the Tower. Lenox Hill Press, 1972.

Seligman, Katherine.

At the Edge of the Haight. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2021.

| setting: San Francisco (Haight-Asbury; Golden Gate Park) | find it |

Summary: Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, has made a family of sorts in the dangerous spaces of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. She knows whom to trust, where to eat, when to move locations, and how to take care of her dog. It's the only home she has. When she unwittingly witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her relatively stable life is upended. Suddenly, everyone from the police to the dead boys' parents want to talk to Maddy about what she saw. As adults pressure her to give up her secrets and reunite with her own family before she meets a similar fate, Maddy must decide whether she wants to stay lost or be found.

Serah, Tonne.

Drop...Dead: The DJ Murders. Harrington Park Press, 2007.

Shankman, Sarah.

Impersonal Attractions. St. Martin’s Press, 1985.

Shannon, Barry.

The Bold Stroke. TripleTree Pub., 1999.

Shannon, Carl.

Murder Me Never. Boardman, 1951.

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman.

Nate the Great, San Francisco Detective. Dell Yearling, 2000.

Sharpe, Alice.

Annabelle’s Secret. Avalon Books, 1991.

Sharpe, Robert.

Vichy Berkeley. Fog City Press, 1993.

The City of Love and Pain. Fog City Press, 1994.

Shea, Susan C.

Murder in the Abstract. Avalon Books, 2010.

| setting: San Francisco (“Devor Museum”) | series character: Danielle (“Dani”) O’Rourke | find it |

The King’s Jar. Top Five Books, 2013.

Mixed Up With Murder. Reputation Books, 2016.

| setting: San Francisco; Massachusetts | series character: Dani O'Rourke (3) | tpo |

Summary: Danielle "Dani" O'Rourke is flying east for what should be an easy and interesting diversion, a short consulting assignment to help a small New England college with a plentiful gift of money and art from an alum. But the donation comes with some strange terms, and she soon learns the donor is a powerful man hiding some alarming secrets. When the college's vice president drowns on a golf course, Dani finds herself in the center of a dangerous plot and, is once again, mixed up with murder.

Shedd, Margaret Cochran.

Run. Doubleday, 1956.

Sheldon, Carol.

A Sleuth in Sausalito. Houghton, 2014.

| setting: Sausalito | series character: Gwen Harris (1) | tpo |

A Sleuth in the Haven. Houghton, 2017.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: Gwen Harris (2) | tpo |

Summary: Now working as a junior reporter for The Chronicle newspaper, she longs to write about the real news. She gets her chance, as bizarre and fatal events threaten the residents of The Haven, a retirement home where her friend Megan lives. Signing on to help the investigation, she gets caught deeper and deeper in the web of the attacker's agenda. As Gwen tries to balance her work at The Chronicle with a new job at the retirement home, and a boyfriend, the tight-rope she's walking gets higher and higher.

Sheldon, Sidney.

Nothing Lasts Forever. William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994.

Tell Me Your Dreams. William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1998.

Sherrell, Susan.

Grace. Workwomans Press, 2009.

| setting: Oakland, Berkeley (1972) | tpo | find it |

Sherridane, David.

The Heart of a Gangster. Vantage Press, 1964.

Shiga, Jason.

Bookhunter. Sparkplug Comics, 2007.

Summary: The year is 1973. A priceless book has been stolen from the Oakland Public Library. A crack team of Bookhunters (aka library police) have less than three days to recover the stolen item. It's a race against the clock as our heroes use every tool in their arsenal of library equipment to find the book and the mastermind who stole it.

Shirley, John.

City Come A-Walkin’. Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1980.

Spider Moon. Cemetery Dance Publications, 2002.

| setting: San Francisco | find it |

Siegel, Sheldon.

Special Circumstances. Bantam Books, 2000.

Incriminating eEvidence. Bantam Books, 2001.

Criminal Intent. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002.

Final Verdict. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2003.

The Confession. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004.

Judgment Day. MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2008.

Perfect Alibi. MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2010.

Felony Murder Rule. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2017.

Summary: Mike Daley and ex-wife Rosie Fernandez face new challenges and stare down old demons as they return to work at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office where they had started their careers and their relationship twenty years earlier. Mike and Rosie are now the co-heads of the Felony Division, where they spend more time running the office and supervising younger attorneys than trying cases. That changes quickly when Mike is visited by Melinda Nguyen, whose son, Thomas, a high school senior, is about to go on trial for murder. Thomas has been arrested under California's archaic "felony murder rule," which says you can be can be convicted of first degree murder if you're present when someone is killed during the course of a felony, even if you don't pull the trigger. The charge against Thomas shows the absurd limits of this legal doctrine. He was sitting outside in the car when a friend entered a liquor store in San Francisco's teeming Tenderloin District and allegedly flashed a gun. The shopkeeper pulled out an AR-15 and calmly filled the alleged robber's chest with bullets. Thomas is charged with murder even though he never entered the store. Thomas fires his original lawyer on the eve of trial after she recommends acceptance of a plea bargain. With nowhere else to turn, his mother petitions for help from the Public Defender's Office, and Mike agrees to handle the trial scheduled to start four days later. As the evidence mounts against Thomas, it tests Mike and Rosie's legal skills and relationship. Their stress is compounded by the fact that Thomas and his mother may have a connection to Mike's older brother, Tommy, who died in Vietnam forty years earlier. Aided by Mike's brother, Pete, a private investigator, and Rosie's niece, Rolanda, a top-notch young attorney at the P.D.'s Office, Mike and Rosie face their most compelling challenge yet as they race to represent their client and try to find closure for old wounds.

Serve and Protect. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2018.

Summary: Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have come a long way from their days as small-time defense attorneys working in a converted martial arts studio on the earthy side of Mission Street. Rosie is now San Francisco's Public Defender, and Mike is the head of the Felony Division. Their daughter is in college. Their son is in middle school. For the first time in years, there is a semblance of order in their lives. It doesn't last long. Johnny Bacigalupi is a rookie police officer and fourth-generation cop whose father is an assistant chief. He's also Mike's godson. On a rainy night, Johnny and his partner pull over a Honda for a routine traffic stop. A moment later, the driver, Juwon Jones, is dead. Johnny insists that he shot Jones in self-defense, but video from his body cam suggests otherwise, and Johnny is charged with murder. The victim's mother and Black Lives Matter insist that Jones was unarmed, and the gun found under his body was planted. Johnny's father and uncle plead with Mike to take a leave of absence from the P.D.'s office to handle Johnny's case. Mike and Rosie face their greatest challenge as violence erupts on the streets of San Francisco.

Hot Shot. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2019.

| setting: San Francisco; Silicon Valley | series characters: Mike Daley, Rosie Fernandez (10) | tpo |

Summary: In San Francisco, one in 11,000 residents is a billionaire. Now, there's one fewer. It starts with a phone call on Christmas Eve. Jeff King, the founder of Silicon Valley's hottest tech startup, was found dead in his mansion above Mission Dolores on San Francisco's "Billionaires Row." Lexy Low, a young woman he had met on a "sugar daddy" site, allegedly injected King with a lethal "hot shot" of heroin. Or did she? Was it an accident? Or murder? It's up to ex-spouses and Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez to find the truth.

The Dreamer. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2020.

Summary: San Francisco's hottest young chef rose from modest beginnings to getting a James Beard Award for his upscale Mission District eatery, El Conquistador. In addition to creating cutting-edge cuisine, the mercurial Cruz has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times. Smart, ambitious, and tenacious, Mercedes "Mercy" Tejada was granted Dreamer status while studying to become a nurse. The waitress job wasn't the ideal, but the tips paid the bills. When she finds Cruz dying in the alley behind his trendy bistro, she knows she's in a lot of trouble. Mercy's fingerprints and blood-splattered sweatshirt make her a prime suspect. It doesn't help that she and Cruz were seen fighting and Mercy threatened him. Ex-spouses and Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are thrust into the middle of this politically charged case and tasked with finding the truth.

Final Out. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2021.

Summary: A ballpark. A bay. A body. Robbie Blum was San Francisco's most prominent sports agent. His clients included players on the Giants, Warriors, and Niners. It all came crashing down when his body was found floating in San Francisco Bay after a Giants game, his skull crushed. A Louisville Slugger floating next to his body. Though Blum was a wildly successful agent, his personal life was a disaster. Two failed marriages. Allegations of spousal abuse. Alcohol. Drugs. Gambling. Even his biggest client, Giants' slugger David Archer, had reservations about Blum's erratic behavior. Jaylen Jenkins is a native of Oakland ("before it was woke," as he likes to say). The graduate of McClymonds High School ekes out a living and pays for his mother's drug rehab by working at fast-food restaurants, driving for Uber, and selling Giants T-shirts outside the ballpark. Jaylen also ran errands for Blum -- and it was more than getting his laundry. Jenkins picked up illegal drugs for Blum from a supplier at a strip club. Blum also provided Jaylen with Giants swag to sell behind the ballpark. On the night that he died, Blum met with Jaylen at his stand and gave money to Jaylen to deliver to Blum's drug supplier. Blum also had an autographed bat that he was going to give to his son. According to the police, Jaylen attacked Blum and killed him. Jaylen appears on a security video with a bat in hand. Ex-spouses and Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez defend Jaylen in a high-profile case where they race from the glamorous world of professional sports to the low-rent world of strip clubs and homeless encampments in a desperate search for an elusive truth where everybody has something tR R R R o hide.

Last Call. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2022.

| setting: San Francisco | series characters: Mike Daley, Rosie Fernandez (13) | find it |

Summary: A bar. A body. A bloody knife. Mike wasn't expecting the early-morning call from his 86-year-old uncle. Big John Dunleavy arrived at his namesake bar to find the body of San Francisco police officer Eddie Corcoran in the alley, a bloody knife at his side. Officer Corcoran was a tough cop whose life went off the rails after his partner was killed two years earlier. Infidelity and alcohol abuse led his wife to file for divorce. Excessive force and harassment while arresting drug dealers and the homeless resulted in his recent suspension from the force. Corcoran was on the verge of permanently losing his job, custody of his children and everything. He didn't think he'd lose his life. All signs point to Big John's grandson Joey as the killer. Witnesses reported that Joey and the cop argued at the bar shortly before the last call. The alleged murder weapon is Joey's Boy Scout knife. The only fingerprints are his. Big John begs Mike to represent Joey. Mike and his team of ex-wife/boss (Rosie) and brother/P.I. (Pete) embark on a desperate search for the truth that takes them around San Francisco -- from the foggy streets of the Sunset to the colorful corners of the Mission to the homeless encampments in Golden Gate Park to the drug-infested hotels in the Tenderloin. Can they find justice for Joey before the bars close?

Double Jeopardy. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2022.

| setting: San Francisco | series characters: Mike Daley, Rosie Fernandez (14) | find it |

Summary: He was just trying to help a friend. After three tours in Afghanistan, homeless and hooked on painkillers, Lenny was working to pull his life together. He gave Annie the last of his oxy pills to ease the pain from her shoulder injury. But when she was found dead in her tent the next morning, Lenny wound up in jail accused of killing her with fentanyl. After a year behind bars, Lenny was finally about to get his day in court. But the uncertainty of the coronavirus threatened to delay his justice further. The evidence is compelling: a pill bottle with Lenny's name, fingerprints, and DNA is found in the tent of the decedent, Annie Parker. There are six pills laced with fentanyl inside the bottle. Lenny insists he's innocent. He claims he gave Annie three of his legitimate OxyContin pills that he got from the V.A. When Lenny's public defender is called away to help a family member sick with COVID, Mike Daley steps in to take over his case. Contrary to Mike's advice, Lenny rejects a continuance leaving Mike little time to prepare for trial. With the City on the verge of closing down, Mike must fly solo at trial as he desperately searches for witnesses in the homeless encampments and the drug-infested hotels in the Tenderloin.

Dead Coin. Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc., 2023.

| setting: San Francisco | series characters: Mike Daley, Rosie Fernandez (15) | find it |

Summary: Deal Coin is dead. So is Tyson Gore -- the crypto company's rockstar CEO. Homeless addict Reggie Jones stands accused of his murder during a botched robbery in the heart of Salesforce Park. San Francisco Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez race against time to uncover the truth. From gleaming office towers to powerful venture capital firms on Sandhill Road to tawdry strip clubs catering to Silicon Valley's elite, they follow a trail of betrayal, greed, and corruption.

Sigler, Scott.

Nocturnal. Crown Publishers, 2012.

Siler, Jack.

Triangles of Fire. Dell Publishing Company, 1984.

Silver, Hy.

Bogus Lover. Newsstand Library, 1960.

Silverman, Robert M.

The Cumberland Decision. Manor Books, 1977.

Simmons, Mary Kay.

The Year of the Rooster. Delacorte Press, 1971.

| setting: Tokyo, Japan; San Francisco | find it |

Summary: Marta Frazier, art buyer for an American museum, and Peter Eliot, a disillusioned American in Japan, begin an affair while becoming entangled in the CIA's dangerous world of murder and espionage. What begins as an idyllic passion becomes a nightmare of terror when Marta realizes that Peter is not what he seems, and that he is not to be trusted. He has involved her, and now she must fight for her life... The action surrounding this tender love story moves from Tokyo to a fear-haunted ocean voyage and finally to a startling climax in a San Francisco mansion.

Simmons, Steven.

Body Blows. Dutton, 1986.

| setting: San Francisco | find it |

Simon, Roger L.

California Roll. Villard Books, 1985.

Simpson, Carla.

Desperado’s Caress. Kensington, 1991.

Seduced. Pinnacle Books, 1993.

Deceived. Pinnacle Books, 1994.

Simpson, Robert.

Welcome Danger. London Book Co., 1930.

Sims, George.

Hunter’s Point. Gollancz, 1973.

Sims, L. V.

Murder is Only Skin Deep. Charter Books, 1987.

Death is a Family Affair. Charter Books, 1987.

To Sleep, Perchance to Kill. Charter Books, 1988.

Sinclair, Upton.

100%: The Story of a Patriot. Published by the author, 1920.

Singer, Shelley.

Samson’s Deal. St. Martin’s Press, 1983.

Free Draw. St. Martin’s Press, 1984.

Full House. St. Martin’s Press, 1986.

Spit in the Ocean. St. Martin’s Press, 1987.

Suicide King. St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

Summary: Laid-back Oakland P.I. Jake Samson's never been a big fan of politics: fun and profitable if you understand the game, futile and frustrating if you don't. But his longtime friend and (unlicensed) sidekick Rosie Vicente invites him to a posh California fundraiser for the energetic gubernatorial candidate of the liberal underdog Vivo party. Hearing that Joe Richmond’s charisma rivals JFK's, Jake can't resist. And what's worse, Jake's actually impressed by Richmond's rhetoric and charm. It's all fun and political games until Pam Sutherland, Richmond's aide, finds her boss in her backyard in Berkeley, hanging naked from an acacia tree. The police rule the death a suicide; Jake and Pam suspect foul play. Pam quickly hires Jake to find the culprit, leading him through an intriguing web of campaign shenanigans, backroom wheeling and dealing, affairs, a possible German mafia connection, and a fair amount more danger than our hero could possibly have imagined.

Following Jane. Signet, 1993.

Picture of David. Signet, 1993.

Searching for Sara. Signet, 1994.

Interview with Mattie. Signet, 1995.

Royal Flush. John Daniel & Co., 1999.

Skibbins, David.

Eight of Swords. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2005.

High Priestess. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006.

The Star. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007.

The Hanged Man. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008.

Sledge, Tommy. [Michael D. Farrow]

Eat Lead, Clown! Full Court Press, 1987.

Sloan, Robin.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.

| setting: San Francisco | find it |

Sloan, Susan R.

Guilt by Association. Little, Brown and Company, 1994; Warner Books, 1995.

Behind Closed Doors. Warner Books, 2004.

Sloane, Kit.

Grape Noir. Deadly Alibi Press, 2001.

Slovo, Gillian.

The Betrayal. Michael Joseph, 1991.

Smith, Barry.

The Do or Die Machine. iUniverse, Inc., 2008.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: David Moore | find it |

Blood Rain. iUniverse, Inc., 2009.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: David Moore |

The Miwok Eagles. AuthorHouse, 2009.

| setting: San Francisco | series character: David Moore |

Smith, Julie.

Death Turns a Trick. Walker & Company, 1982.

The Sourdough Wars. Walker & Company, 1984.

True-Life Adventure. The Mysterious Press, 1985.

Tourist Trap. The Mysterious Press, 1986.

Huckleberry Fiend. The Mysterious Press, 1987.

Other People’s Skeletons. Ivy Books, 1993.

Smith, L. Z. [Lincoln Smith]

The Bartender Ran Last. Local 4 Publishing, 2011.

Summary: Tired of seeing the little guy get the short end of the stick, Isaac "Smitty" Smith is at the end of his rope as a Union Business Agent until the senior bartender at Golden Gate Fields Race Track is fingered in a brazen million dollar heist and desperately calls on him for help. It's 1989 and tensions are high as the Bay Area blisters from an unusual heat wave, and the even more unusual anticipation of a World Series between bitter rivals, Oakland A's and SF Giants. With Jack Daniels as his only companion, danger and intrigue lurk as Smitty struggles to uncover the truth that will prove the bartender's innocence and save his life. From the steamy underbelly of Oakland's Chinatown to the gritty streets of Tijuana, he must navigates between Vietnamese gangsters, Detroit mobsters, insatiable women and a sexy defense attorney with hard agendas and soft lips.

Promise To a Dead Man. Local 4 Publishing, 2013.

Summary: Gun shots echo in the cavernous basement of the Oakland Hyatt Hotel. Peter Wu lays on the cold asphalt floor. With his dying breath he makes his union business agent, Isaac Smith, swear to watch over his niece, Mai Ling . "Smitty, they will be after her -- you must swear." What obsession drives Mai Ling to drag them both into the dangerous jaws of international intrigue; what secret so menacing, so ominous, that the mere knowledge of it is a death warrant. Will the growing attraction Smitty feels for Mai Ling drag him ever closer to betrayal and annihilation? All Smitty knows is that he must untangle an ever expanding web woven of deceit and death to fulfill a promise, his promise...to a dead man.

Smith, Lachlan.

Bear is Broken. The Mysterious Press, 2013.