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Deadly Gold
Thirty-four gold miners lay dead on a gravel bar where Deadline Creek flowed into the Snake River in the depths of Hells Canyon. From the surrounding bluffs, a small gang of horse thieves had poured gunfire down on the defenseless miners, who had committed two cardinal they were Chinese, and they had found gold. A hundred twenty-five years later, a woman's body is found in the Willamette River, wrapped in a piece of carpet and weighted down with a cast-iron anchor. Private investigator Corrigan, having just completed his investigation of the notorious Mendelson-Devonshire murders, once again finds himself trying to solve the murder of a victim whose body was pulled from the river many years after her death. In the course of his year-long investigation into the death of Tara Foster, Corrigan learns that there is no limit to the mayhem that is triggered by lust for the Deadly Gold. Ken Baysinger's first novel, El Camino, is receiving rave reviews from readers and critics alike. Deadly Gold follows the ongoing adventures of investigator Corrigan and his associates in the tiny riverfront community of Canemah, Oregon. The author's unique ability to weave fiction with fact gives his novels an aura of realism that keeps readers engaged and entertained.
432 pages, Paperback
Published December 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 23, 2016
What a tangled web--and all of it had to be sorted out by March Corrigan, a private investigator living in a small community on the Willamette River near Oregon City. Several murders come to light in this riverside neighborhood--one at least a decade old, washed up in a rolled-up carpet. Other murders are 30 or more years past and the subject of Baysinger's previous book, "El Camino." Consequences for Corrigan and the court trial for that case wrap up in this book, providing a bit of suspense but also distracting from events in the current book.
"Deadly Gold" does not appear in this detective story until almost halfway into the book when a motive is needed for the carpet murder. At that point, the true story of the massacre of 34 Chinese gold miners in eastern Oregon in 1887 enters the web of mystery for Corrigan to unwind. The lust for gold then becomes a motive for two more murders in the riverside community.
Early in the story, Corrigan becomes involved with the carpet murder while trying to prove the innocence of an inmate imprisoned for previous 'carpet murders.' To prove the inmate's innocence, Corrigan must find evidence of another perpetrator. Luckily, Corrigan is paid well in cash by inmate Dennis Lawen's attorney, because the IRS freezes Corrigan's bank and credit accounts--a consequence of his investigation into the 30+ year old murder case involving a prominent senator.
Did I say a tangled web? It is an entertaining detective mystery with lots of colorful characters from Corrigan's neighborhood where he lives and works with partner Kim, a deputy sheriff who patrols the river. She makes many interesting and convenient discoveries. As in any good mystery/detective tale, there is much action, surprises, suspense, hurdles befalling the detective, multiple suspects, and even a car chase at the end.
I wished the first chapter didn't spend so much text and whole sentences in Spanish (not translated), as the senora neighbor contributes nothing substantial to unfolding of the story. The challenge to my Spanish comprehension was a bit of fun, even though it didn't yet hook me into the plot of the story.
The tangled threads of this novel kept me turning the pages. But I am left with one question: Who got to keep the gold? I guess it's not so bad, though, for a mystery story to end with a mystery.
"Deadly Gold" does not appear in this detective story until almost halfway into the book when a motive is needed for the carpet murder. At that point, the true story of the massacre of 34 Chinese gold miners in eastern Oregon in 1887 enters the web of mystery for Corrigan to unwind. The lust for gold then becomes a motive for two more murders in the riverside community.
Early in the story, Corrigan becomes involved with the carpet murder while trying to prove the innocence of an inmate imprisoned for previous 'carpet murders.' To prove the inmate's innocence, Corrigan must find evidence of another perpetrator. Luckily, Corrigan is paid well in cash by inmate Dennis Lawen's attorney, because the IRS freezes Corrigan's bank and credit accounts--a consequence of his investigation into the 30+ year old murder case involving a prominent senator.
Did I say a tangled web? It is an entertaining detective mystery with lots of colorful characters from Corrigan's neighborhood where he lives and works with partner Kim, a deputy sheriff who patrols the river. She makes many interesting and convenient discoveries. As in any good mystery/detective tale, there is much action, surprises, suspense, hurdles befalling the detective, multiple suspects, and even a car chase at the end.
I wished the first chapter didn't spend so much text and whole sentences in Spanish (not translated), as the senora neighbor contributes nothing substantial to unfolding of the story. The challenge to my Spanish comprehension was a bit of fun, even though it didn't yet hook me into the plot of the story.
The tangled threads of this novel kept me turning the pages. But I am left with one question: Who got to keep the gold? I guess it's not so bad, though, for a mystery story to end with a mystery.
June 3, 2016
Set in the very real riverfront community of Canemah, Oregon, Ken Baysinger’s Deadly Gold builds on the history and politics of time and locale, pitting private investigator Corrigan against the might of the IRS, machinations of the left-wing media, evil misdeeds of powerful politicians, and the unknown perpetrator of a ten-year-old murder. There’s a mystery to be solved, with its own ever widening branches and roots in the deadly gold of the past. There’s a court case to be resolved. And there’s a whole community of characters rushing forward to crowd the docks. The result is a twisted tale told with pitch-perfect dialog (sometimes in Spanish), complicated plot, and a very real river running through it.
Not having read the author’s previous novel, El Camino, I can’t speak for how well this one draws together the threads of its ending. But Deadly Gold stands alone, nicely balancing court room scenes with believable investigation, political evils with personal, and history with the present day. The protagonist’s politics might be a little overbearing at times—very true to life, but not always comfortable to read, unless the reader agrees—but his investigative techniques are intriguingly convincing, and the author’s timing lets the reader guess and learn as the pages turn.
By the end, of course, there’s still a question awaiting resolution. Therein lies book three, I guess. But it’s nice to read part of a series where the story really does stand alone.
Disclosure: I borrowed this from a friend.
Not having read the author’s previous novel, El Camino, I can’t speak for how well this one draws together the threads of its ending. But Deadly Gold stands alone, nicely balancing court room scenes with believable investigation, political evils with personal, and history with the present day. The protagonist’s politics might be a little overbearing at times—very true to life, but not always comfortable to read, unless the reader agrees—but his investigative techniques are intriguingly convincing, and the author’s timing lets the reader guess and learn as the pages turn.
By the end, of course, there’s still a question awaiting resolution. Therein lies book three, I guess. But it’s nice to read part of a series where the story really does stand alone.
Disclosure: I borrowed this from a friend.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews