Midwest
Book Review
Iron
Ties
Poisoned
Pen,
$24.95 (369p)
ISBN: 1590582624
In
1880 the Denver & Rio
Grande Railroad
is coming to the
mining boom town
of Leadville, Colorado
high in the Rocky
Mountains. Most
folks welcome the
train though many
have concerns.
However, a few
have much more
than unease that
the train might
bring with it crime;
this group has
other plans for
the shining silvery
tracks that await
the arrival of
the first train
carrying eastern
dignitaries and
VIPs like President
Ulysses S. Grant.
They blow up a
section of the
mountain causing
a rock slide to
bury the track.
Silver Queen Saloon
part owner Inez
Stannert is one
of those mixed
souls as she knows
her business will
boom, but fears
the type of clientele
that will arrive.
She misses her
son William who
is staying with
his aunt by the
sea to help heal
his weak lungs;
her spouse and
William's dad Mark
remains missing
while Reverend
Justice Sands makes
his intentions
clear to her. Inez
finds badly injured
photographer Susan
Carothers near
the site where
the tracks were
buried. Susan mentions
murder and the
killing of Generals.
Unable to resist
out of a fear that
something bad is
coming to her town,
Inez investigates
not yet realizing
that the Civil
War is not over
in the minds of
some. IRON
TIES is a
terrific Reconstruction
Era mystery that
provides the audience
with a deep look
at the period when
official hostilities
were over, but
passions still
flared into violence.
The story line
in many ways is
more of a historical
thriller though
Inez's amateur
sleuth investigation
is deftly handled
and the cast three
dimensional. Ann
Parker provides
a delightful late
nineteenth century
Americana investigative
tale.
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