Leaden Skies (Silver Rush Mysteries)

Ann Parker
Poisoned Pen Press (2009)
ISBN 9781590585788
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.

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