Gertrude Chandler Warner. The Mystery in San Francisco (1997) (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #57) 119 pp. Illustrated by Charles Tang. [juvenile]
The Boxcar Children—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden—decide to accept the offer to go to their Aunt Jane and Uncle Andy Bean’s house on Lombard Street in San Francisco. Before they arrive, they each decide on one thing that they want to do on their trip: Henry wants to visit Chinatown, Jessie wants to drive across the renowned Golden Gate Bridge, Violet wants to take a boat trip on the Bay, and Benny desperately wants to ride on a cable car, at least once! When they arrive, their uncle introduces them to his friend Charlie, who is a fisherman working on a pier at Fisherman’s Wharf. Charlie isn’t acting like himself and the Aldens know that something is up, especially when they see a mysterious man lurking around the scene. Charlie later tells them that he had an incident where half of the fish that his boss received was rotten, even though he never sells fish that isn’t of the finest quality. During the Aldens’ visit, Charlie’s gasoline is stolen, his emergency radio wire is clipped, and his fishing nets are cut. Something is definitely up, and it’s up to the Boxcar Children to find out what’s going on.
Setting: San Francisco (Fisherman’s Wharf)