Sarah Woolson has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. The trouble is, in the San Francisco of 1880, polite society believes it is willful and unfeminine for a young lady to concern herself with such things. Undeterred, and confident of the legal education that her judge father has given her, Sarah uses her brains and a little subterfuge to finagle her way into a prestigious law firm. Her first client is a lovely young society matron accused of stabbing to death her wealthy but abusive husband. Sarah is sure of her client's innocence, but the revelation of the woman's secret lover may make that innocence impossible to prove. When four more victims fall prey to the killer's knife, Sarah fears she has bitten off more than she can chew. Buck-ing her boorish employer and the judicial system, Sarah finds herself embroiled in shady legal maneuvers, a daring China-town raid, a secret and very scandalous sex club, and a powerful and dangerous tong lord in the city's Chinese district. Murder on Nob Hill is an irresistible blend of history, romance, and murder.