Every answer has a cost—especially in a city where the truth is protected by those who fear it most.

A vanished crime sets the foundation for Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze, which begins in 1898 San Francisco as Jack London witnesses a murder denied by authorities. His search takes him beyond familiar territory and into districts where unrecorded disappearances and quiet negotiations define everyday life.

Jack’s attempt to understand the event leads him into places where boundaries between groups remain constantly under negotiation. Chinatown’s inner pathways reveal the presence of longstanding disputes and missing young women whose cases attract little official attention. A woman connected to these undercurrents complicates Jack’s efforts, offering direction while adding further uncertainty. As he observes how influence moves discreetly across these areas, he becomes increasingly aware of structures designed to avoid scrutiny. The narrative follows Jack’s efforts to connect the unexplained moment he witnessed to the larger tensions shaping the city’s internal networks.

Ray M. Schultze is the author of six novels, five of them works of suspense—The Last Safe Place, Combustion, The Devil in Dreamland, Decatur’s Dig, and Beranek’s Stand. His most recent novel, Russian River, is historical fiction. His interest in writing began in childhood with a handmade, folded-paper “magazine” that his mother encouraged. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside, he pursued newspaper reporting as a practical way to support himself while writing fiction. Over a twenty-five-year career, he covered politics, the legal system, and education for newspapers in California, Florida, and Arizona. When he turned to fiction full-time, he drew inspiration from authors such as Alan Furst and Ken Follett. Ray now lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Judi. They enjoy tennis, hiking, exploring the region’s beaches and headlands, and international travel—experiences that often shape his novels’ settings. He is also an award-winning woodworking artist. Visit him at his website.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/48AI8UB (not affiliated with BBNB)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244308185-jack-london-and-murder-on-nob-hill

Publisher: Ray M. Schultze

Publication date: December 2, 2025
Genre(s): Mystery, murder mystery, historical fiction, historical mystery, literary fiction, biographical fiction

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