One of the strongest motifs of the novel is the city of San Francisco, which has a strong presence in the crime story genre in both print and film. The weather, neighborhoods, houses, nature and people repeatedly appear in the novel and lend their character to the scenes. Famous elements of the city are used to create an ominous or even threatening mood and an air of mystery and suspense.

A. J. Finn uses the weather and nature associated with the city to create a mood of instability and threat that reoccurs as a motif throughout End of Story. Fog creeps in and obscures the vision of characters, mimicking their inability to see the truth, and the drama of sudden thunderstorms and the dramatic wind that comes off the ocean feel as threatening as the human characters. Famous landmarks and neighborhoods like the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown are shown in their cultural glory but also used to throw obstacles in Nicky’s way, literally by having a street fair with a dragon in the way while she chases Freddy, and Nicky concealing herself in the fog from the dragon’s mouth to push through the crowd in Chapter 69 is an image loaded with

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