Broomfield
Enterprise
Western
History
Renaissance
By
Suzanne Lyon
September 25, 2004
The
western
historical
mystery
is not a
new genre,
but it seems
to be enjoying
a renaissance
of sorts.
Readers
of this
column will
recall a
review of
Michelle
Black's
Leadville-based
mystery, "The
Second Glass
of Absinthe" (November
2003). Now
comes Ann
Parker's
similarly
situated
book, "Silver
Lies" (Poisoned
Pen Press).
Leadville
in 1879
was like
a three-ring
circus.
In this
ring we
have the
silver miners;
over here
are the
saloon keepers,
bankers
and merchants;
and in the
center ring
are all
the shysters
and hucksters.
It was a
volatile
mix, and
certainly
fertile
ground for
a mystery
author.
Parker's
heroine
is Inez
Stannert,
owner of
the Silver
Queen saloon.
She is a
woman alone,
her husband
having abandoned
her for
unknown
reasons.
Luckily,
her husband's
friend and
business
partner,
a black
man named
Abe Jackson,
has stuck
around to
help. When
Joe Rose,
a precious
metals assayer
and husband
to Inez's
best friend,
shows up
dead in
the snowy
muck outside
the saloon,
Inez is
drawn into
solving
a crime
that rapidly
becomes
more complicated
than just
a simple
murder.
Into
this mix
strides
J.B. Sands,
the new
interim
minister
... or is
he? Smooth
and handsome,
he charms
the lady
parishioners.
All except
Inez, who
is suspicious
of his motives
as he attempts
to comfort
Joe Rose's
grieving
widow. Naturally,
Inez has
some secrets
of her own
that come
to light
as the story
plays out.
"Silver
Lies" is
a well-plotted,
fun read.
If at
times
the number
of secondary
characters
seems
to overwhelm
the reader,
Parker
ultimately
ties everything
together
neatly.
Short,
punchy
sentences
keep the
action
moving.
And,
as in Black's
book, descriptions
of Leadville
make one
feel and
see the
bruising
cold, the
biting wind,
the desperate
fortune
seekers,
the pathetic
drunks and
losers.
Parker
is a scientific
writer in
California.
Her interest
in Colorado
history
was sparked
by learning
about her
great-grandfather,
a blacksmith
during Leadville's
heyday. "Silver
Lies" is
her first
novel, and
one hopes
not her
last. It
has won
several
awards,
including
the WILLA
award for
outstanding
historical
fiction.
It was picked
as one of
the best
mysteries
of 2003
by Publisher's
Weekly and
the Chicago
Tribune.
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