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.
