BookLoons
-
Mary Ann
Smyth
Given that this
is Ann Parker's
first novel, I
decidedly look
forward to her
second and third.
Avoiding the stilted
writing that's
often typical of
a first book, Parker
has woven a story
of lies, deceit,
counterfeiting,
murder, lust -
you name it, Silver
Lies has it.
Inez
Stannert,
along with
her partner
Abe Jackson,
runs a saloon/gambling
palace in
Leadville,
a Rocky
Mountain
boomtown.
Her husband
Mark has
disappeared.
Her good
friend Joe
Rose is
trampled
to death
by a horse.
Inez has
to send
her small
son to her
sister for
a better
climate
for his
health.
She recognizes
that a suitor
is not what
he seems,
and a new
interim
minister
also appears
to be something
other than
what he
claims.
And
this is
just the
beginning
of a story
that takes
us back
to 1879
in a silver
mining town.
Leadville
has new
buildings,
muddy streets,
a saloon
every few
blocks -
and men
streaming
into town,
looking
to stake
a claim
and make
their fortune.
As the townspeople
coped with
the mud,
I could
almost feel
my own foot
squoosh
after slipping
off a wooden
boardwalk
to land
in the muck.
The
plot gets
convoluted
at times
but moves
quickly
with tight
writing,
fast paced
action,
plenty of
suspense,
and characters
that might
truly people
a town like
Leadville.
Inez has
a murky
past, as
do most
of the players.
But you
can't help
loving her
grit, determination,
ability
to look
at herself
as she really
is, and
her softness
when she
accepts
the attentions
of a man. Silver
Lies is
a fun read.
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