Leaden Skies

I recently had the tremendous pleasure of listening to the unabridged recorded book version of Ann Parker's "Leaden Skies." The miles flew by as the story unfolded for me again. As I listened, memories of the story came back to me and were embellished with even more detail than before, and I recognized more of the complexities of the characters and the foreshadowing of events. I read the printed version of "Leaden Skies" as early as I could, as I had done with Ms. Parker's first two books in her Silver Rush mystery series. Each of these historical mysteries has been so much fun to read. And with each of these I learned more about the lives, livelihoods, foibles, innocence, and greed of people racing to get rich in the 1880's silver rush in Leadville, Colorado. The descriptions of life in a mountain town with real historical events and people woven into the story are rich with color, detail, and facts. Ms. Parker has done her research incredibly well, accurately depicting life in the 1880's, mining and railroad technologies, firearms, explosives, pharmaceuticals, lawmaking and lawbreaking, and the needs for and risks involved in truth telling by the news media of the day (newspapers). I am really looking forward to the next book in Ms. Parker's Silver Rush mystery series.

What fun! As Leadville Colorado prepares for the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant, Inez Stannert still operates the Silver Queen Saloon with her partner Abe that her now missing husband won at the turn of a card . Is he dead or did he just abandon her? Wanting a little extra security in case her ownership of the saloon is challenged, she strikes a deal with local madam Frisco Flo who wants to move her girls to a better, more profitable site in town - but Inez keeps this deal secret from her partner Abe as well as her lover the Reverend Justice Sands (those who have read the first two books know Sands has a few secrets of his own). One of Flo's girls soon shows up dead with the death blamed on another of Flo's girls and Inez is once again in the thick of things as she tries to unravel the mystery. If Zelda didn't murder Lizzie, who did? And why? Could it be mapmaker Cecil Farnesworth who had such an unhealthy reaction to Lizzie's advances? How did someone get in and out of a locked room without being seen? How is it that local policeman Patrick "The Hatchman" Ryan has a key to Flo's front door? What about wealthy political hopeful John Quincy Adams Wesley - what steps would he take to have that damning photo and letters destroyed? Will Inez be able to solve the puzzle before she too becomes a victim? Inquiring minds want to know but you know I am not telling. This was a jolly good romp peopled with real historical characters like U.S. Grant and Horace Tabor, although I have to say it was the fictional ones who shone in this one - especially Zelda. She definitely had some of the best scenes, especially with her brother as she's preparing to leave town and he realizes not only is there no one to cook his grits, but he'll have to set her up with a crib in another town so she can send money home and keep supporting the two brothers and their father. Wrap all that up with a good who-done-it, a few steamy (but not too steamy) scenes between Inez and the good Reverend all leading up to a nail biting rescue as well a big surprise finish that will leave you hanging and begging for the next in the series (Ms. Parker that was dirty pool throwing in a cliff-hanger like that). Stay tuned...... The first two in the series, Silver Lies Iron Ties (Silver Rush Mystery)

Leadville, Colorado is celebrating the arrival of former President Ulysses S. Grant, along with most of Colorado's dignitaries. Investment in Leadville's silver mine is at stake, the movers-and-shaker's politics and money providing a backdrop for arson and murder in the town's red-light district. This third book in Ann Parker's series returns the reader to the world of Inez Stannert, owner of the Silver Queen Saloon. She runs a clean place, respectable, and now she'd like to expand. That fits well with brothel madam Frisco Flo's plans to move her house uptown and sell her building to Inez. But when Flo's place is set on fire, then one of her girls murdered, Inez has second thoughts. Seems there's a third party in this deal whose identity Flo is withholding. While Inez untangles the dealings of some of Grant's party, she's also trying to discover Lizzie's murderer as she strives to keep herself alive. Although the mystery isn't especially strong in this book, the murderer being pretty easy to spot, it didn't distract much from the over-all story. Filled with history, action, and emotional realism, it's a story that will leave you feeling you've made contact with the folks who live in Leadville. There's never a dull moment; somebody is always trying to take advantage of someone else. Some folks are moral, some not. All are interesting. And the book ends with a darn good cliffhanger, making sure to leave you wanting more.

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (5/09) I am finally relieved and excited to see that an author has women protagonists. Set in the 1880s, Inez Stannert is looking for ways to divorce her missing husband and get on with her life. Her relationship with the Reverend Justice Sands is at stake and the only other man she trusts is her black partner. In days where women weren't respected, much less a saloon owner or owner of a house of prostitute, Inez and Frisco Flo decide to become business partners and hopefully Inez will make a fortune. However, when one of Flo's girls, Lizzie, is killed everything changes. During the time that Lizzie is killed, General Grant is coming to the town to and everyone is focused on him. The talk of the town is women voting and immigration- the whole town is in an uproar, but Inez won't be deterred from finding Lizzie's killer. Ms. Parker is a wonderful, energetic writer, able to transport us back into time when women couldn't vote, and politics abounded. The descriptions of the characters and town led one to believe they were right there. You can tell the author did some research for this book. "Leaden Skies" by Ann Parker is an extraordinary read.

In July 1880 as former President Ulysses S. Grant arrives at the mining town Leadville on a five day visit, Colorado, Silver Queen Saloon co-owner Inez Stannert is divorcing her missing husband while having an affair with Reverend Sands. Being an astute businesswoman, Inez conceals her partnership with Madam Frisco Flo in a brothel. When Lizzie the prostitute is murdered, Inez becomes worried over her investment. Used to fixing problems before they become catastrophic like she is doing with her marital status, Inez investigates the homicide. She quickly learns of another silent partner but not who. She draws the ire of the town's power brokers from mine owners, to politicians to the reporters. However, that anti-Inez fervor expands when prostitutes and moms become irate with her inquiry. However, the only one she fears alienating is Hatchet the tax collector so as long as she avoids him, she will keep digging. LEADEN SKIES is a fabulous post Reconstruction Era frontier thriller that brings to life a Colorado mining town at a time when change is occurring with the Union troops having just left the south and women's suffrage losing momentum yet still being pushed in the Rockies. Inez is terrific as she holds the story line together with her inquiry that alienates the entire town of Leadville who want no skeletons rattled while Grant is there. Although the whodunit takes a back seat to one woman's struggle to remain economically independent in the late nineteenth century, Ann Parker writes a wonderful Americana tale. Harriet Klausner