These are links to old mystery stories set in San Francisco that I’ve covered in the past on my blog with then and now photography. (Only the images from the ‘Rising Tide’ link are thumbnail images) Some of the books are so, so, some of them are good, and one of them is folklore. My dedication is to NancyO, who reviews mystery stories in the portion of her blog, ‘the crime segments’. While the books I’ve reviewed are all set in San Francisco, the stories Nancy covers are of global intrigue; although she did a nice synopsis of Dashiell Hammett’s San Francisco based ‘The Dain Curse’ that makes me want to read the book again. Check out her website at,
First is ‘Puzzle for Puppets’, written and set in World War Two, that takes the reader from Union Square, Nob Hill and Chinatown to Fleishhacker Zoo and Civic Center.
https://sfinfilm.com/2018/06/23/puzzle-for-puppets/
‘The Sister of Cain’ is another World War Two murder mystery, and one of the best whodunits set in San Francisco.
https://sfinfilm.com/2017/10/04/the-sister-of-cain/
‘Foghorns’ is a historically accurate 1930s mystery with references to actual events that took place from the Embarcadero to the Cliff House.
https://sfinfilm.com/2020/02/01/foghorns/
‘Death and Taxes’ written in 1941, involves a hard drinking, womanizing income tax accountant who solves crimes. I match up with him on two out of four; I’ve got the hard drinking and income tax preparing down.
https://sfinfilm.com/2018/01/15/death-and-taxes/
‘Dead Center’, set in 1941, is another nifty Mary Collins whodunit that features the Shadows Restaurant on Telegraph Hill and the Forbidden City Nightclub among other locations.
In ‘Raging Tide’ from 1951, I’ve included passages from the novel and scenes from the film noir movie based on the book.
https://sfinfilm.com/2025/07/16/the-raging-tide-the-novel-and-the-film/
In ‘More Mysteries and Histories’ I’ve included brief reviews with pictures of five mystery novels from the 1930s and 1940s set in San Francisco.
https://sfinfilm.com/2019/12/22/more-mysteries-and-histories/
Last is ‘Sam Spade’s San Francisco’, featuring the masterpiece, ‘The Maltese Falcon’. This is probably the most popular mystery novel and film set in San Francisco, and it’s by far the most viewed post in my blog.
https://sfinfilm.com/2015/09/25/sam-spades-san-francisco-15/
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 