Silver Lies: A Silver Rush Mystery

It's the end of 1879 in Leadville, Colorado's "Cloud City" and Joe Rose is found dead outside of Inez Stannert's saloon. Thus begins the mystery, and many plot twists, turns and big surprises until the very end. Who killed Joe? Is Inez's husband dead or missing? Is the new minister really a minister? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? What does the surprise visit from Bat Masterson and his knowledge of the minister's past portend for the growing attraction between Inez and Reverend Sands? Is there some mystery in Emma Rose's past no one knows about? Is someone passing counterfeit currency? Who? To say more would give the whole story away, which I don't like to do. Suffice it to say that this was a jolly good mystery that kept me guessing until the very end, and I especially enjoyed going on a trip through the Rockies and the mining towns of days gone by, although you can still find many of those towns still there and thriving on the tourist trade. Five stars, and I look forward to starting the sequel, Iron Ties.

Last month I was in Leadville, a town I love to visit when I get to Colorado. I'm afraid it's going to be Starbucked soon, but so far it still has its faded glory charm. I stopped in The Bookmine, and the proprietor recommended Ann Parker. I've had some bum steers with 'local' authors, so only bought Silver Lies. At first the dialogue seemed a little clunky, but soon the rip-roaring plot, with multiple layers and twists and turns, took over. One of the best debut mysteries I've read. I'm looking forward to the next one.

On street level, this is a straightforward western morality play, with forces of evil arrayed against forces of good, hard pressed to survive. But across the street is a mystery as well. As the executor of a slain man's estate, Inez Stannert struggles to put the lose ends together for his widow, even as she struggles with the lose ends of her own life. Clues abound, and the solution to one puzzle reveals yet another. Western history buffs will not be disappointed in the unsparing attention to details from chamber pots to Bat Masterson. Moviegoers might imagine roles for Lauren Bacall, Morgan Freeman, and Harrison Ford. But that's just street level in the town of Leadville, and what happens in the rooms above is just as important. Images abound. Start with the fortune of a shattered mirror. Assumptions, rodents, and people are turned inside out and occasionally back again. As the battle of good versus evil is painted, the devil's face is penciled in; but is it the right one? Angels go armed. The key to one mystery unlocks a key to another. Hell freezes over, paradise has lost its way, and your nominal spiritual guide speaks of black, white, and gray. Along the journey, we are invited to think. So think about prejudice, think about the desperation of the poor, think about honesty, think about slavery old and new, think about the consequences of passion, think about justice, think about public sanitation, and think about the eternal trade-off of freedom versus order. The ancestors of our institutions and pretensions play a role in this messy, high-altitude 1880's boom town and none escape without a little horse manure on them.

Ann Parker's innate talent as a gripping storyteller, combined with beautifully rendered prose makes her one of the truly gifted writers of our time. "Silver Lies" will transport you back to the old west, and the glory days of the silver rush. Parker's deft hand paints you into a story where you'll fall in love with Inez Stannert and the world she navigates with skill. But don't be fooled, for where there's immense fortunes to be had, drink to be consumed, and greedy gamblers packing heat, there's also lying, cheating, maiming and murder. Get comfortable and plan to stay up late!! Then join the crowd of fans all waiting to savor her next page-turning mystery. Kathleen Antrim, Author of "Capital Offense"

Murder and mayhem in the old west! A great fireside book on a winters day. Ann Parker's extensive research created a setting so vivid I almost wanted to order a sasparilla. Great characters, teriffic plot and fast paced mystery. What more can you ask of a writer? I hope this is the beginning of a series. Inez is a great example of a frontier woman facing more than the elements.