IN PLACES HIDDEN is a historical and Christian mystery with a touch of romance and a sprinkle of surprise by Tracie Peterson. It takes place at the turn of the century in San Francisco. Camrianne Coulter is heading West from Chicago on a search to find her brother, Caleb, missing for three months. Caleb always communicated regularly with his sister and his parents and they are concerned at his lapse and convinced something is wrong. Both ill, her parents urge her to head to the City by the Sea and find Caleb.

While on the train she befriends two women her age, Judith and Kenzie who are also traveling to San Fran on their own missions. Kenzie, left at the altar is still reeling from the shock. Judith lost both her parents and while sorting through their belongings finds a letter to her mother's sister who she never knew existed. The girls decide to band together and pool their money. Camri invites them to live at her brother's home, which is large enough to accommodate them all and is in a good neighborhood. They will all seek employment, then work together to find Caleb.

Kenzie finds work at her Uncle's candy factory and introduces Camri and Judith to him and he hires them, too. The pay is good and they can commute by cable car. Camri strikes out with her interrogations of Mr. and Mrs. Wong, the Chinese Couple who keep Caleb's home. She also meets Mr. Armbruster, Caleb's boss and she feels he is no help at all. It is when she is introduced to handsome and Irish Patrick Murdock that she feels she is making some progress. Caleb successfully defended Murdock from a murder conviction and they became friends. The attraction between Patrick and Camri grow as they work closely together gathering clues pointing to the disappearance of Caleb. It leads to the infamous Barbary Coast where human trafficking runs rampant and the Shanghai-ing of young men to work on ships is discovered. They gather proof of corruption and race against being found out from the powerful, angered bigwigs who run the City and want them stopped at any cost.

IN PLACES HIDDEN is a nice beginning to the Golden Gate Secrets Trilogy. Tracie Peterson is a strong writer of historical fiction and writes beautifully about Christian faith and ideas. Her characters are easy to root for and Patrick will steal your heart as he did mine. Several interesting subplots evolve and in the end the questions are answered and justice is found. The icing on the cake is a promising future for Patrick and Camri. Who knows what is next for Judith and Kenzie? The next book is coming in July and I will be first in line to continue on this delightful adventure.