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Silver Rush #3
Leaden Skies
It's the summer of 1880, and potential investment in Leadville's silver mines has brought former president and Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant to this city at the top of the Rockies. But others in his retinue and in town have different agendas. Political aspirations fuel the dreams of young John Quincy Adams Wesley and his mother, while itinerant fire insurance mapmaker Cecil Farnesworth struggles against the seductive call of Leadville's red-light district.
As part owner of the Silver Queen Saloon, Inez Stannert has often observed the ruination that comes from yielding to temptation. Still, that hasn't stopped her from taking Reverend Justice Sands as her lover. Nor does it stop her from striking a backroom deal with upscale brothel madam Frisco Flo, a deal that Inez gambles will make her financially independent.
But when the body of one of Flo's women is discovered and Inez learns that Flo has another silent business partner whose identity she will not divulge, Inez begins to have second thoughts. In a race to untangle the dealings of the high and the low during Grant's visit, Inez finds herself facing demons from her past, even as she fights to save her reputation and her life.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2009
28 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Ann Parker
10 books225 followers Ann Parker earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, before taking up a career as a science writer. These days, she slings science and technical verbiage for a living during the day and writes fiction at night.
Ann's ancestors include a great-grandfather who was a blacksmith in Leadville, a grandmother who worked at the bindery of Leadville's Herald Democrat newspaper, a grandfather who was a Colorado School of Mines professor, and another grandfather who worked as a gandy dancer on the Colorado railroads. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Historical Novel Society, Women Writing the West, and Western Writers of America. Ann and her family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, whence they have weathered numerous boom-and-bust cycles.
Her Silver Rush historical mystery series, published by Poisoned Pen Press, is set primarily in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the early 1880s. (The sixth in the series, A DYING NOTE, is set in San Francisco, 1881.) The series was picked as a "Booksellers Favorite" by the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association.
Ann's ancestors include a great-grandfather who was a blacksmith in Leadville, a grandmother who worked at the bindery of Leadville's Herald Democrat newspaper, a grandfather who was a Colorado School of Mines professor, and another grandfather who worked as a gandy dancer on the Colorado railroads. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Historical Novel Society, Women Writing the West, and Western Writers of America. Ann and her family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, whence they have weathered numerous boom-and-bust cycles.
Her Silver Rush historical mystery series, published by Poisoned Pen Press, is set primarily in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the early 1880s. (The sixth in the series, A DYING NOTE, is set in San Francisco, 1881.) The series was picked as a "Booksellers Favorite" by the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 27, 2009
What fun! As Leadville Colorado prepares for the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant, Inez Stannert still operates the Silver Queen Saloon that her now missing husband won at the turn of a card with her partner Abe. 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 making us wait like that). Stay tuned......
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 making us wait like that). Stay tuned......
March 4, 2009
LEADEN SKIES (Hist. Mys-Inez Stannert-Colorado-1880) – VG+
Parker, Ann – 3rd in series
Poisoned Pen Press, 2009, ARC – ISBN: 9781590585771 (Hardcover)
First Sentence: When the summer storm arrived late that afternoon, it was hailed as a blessing.
Inez Stannert is the one-third owner of the Silver Queen Saloon; another third is owned by her friend and black man, Abe, and the final third is owned by her husband, whom she’s not seen in over a year. Inez is ready to move on with her relationship with Reverend Sands.
She has also agreed to become partners with “Frisco” Flo, the town’s madam. When one of Flo’s women is murdered, insurance surveyor Cecil Farnsworth is arrested. Inez believes he is innocent and sets out to find the killer.
Ann’s first two books (Silver Lies and Iron Ties) were wonderful. I am happy to say this third entry more than equals the previous two books.
I don’t know any other mysteries, with female protagonists, set during this time and in the old West. Parker’s obvious research comes through in a very strong sense of place. To a very well-plotted mystery, she adds the component of the politics of the time with the issues of Chinese immigration and women’s suffrage.
Parker’s wonderful characters and excellent dialogue enhance the qualities of this book. What really sets it apart, however, is that indefinable voice which makes a particular author such a pleasure to read. The defining except, for me, was: “A rocking chair held an open book, face down. Inez imagined the book whining at the mistreatment of it’s spine, cracked and in distress.”
I highly recommend starting at the beginning of this wonderful series.
Parker, Ann – 3rd in series
Poisoned Pen Press, 2009, ARC – ISBN: 9781590585771 (Hardcover)
First Sentence: When the summer storm arrived late that afternoon, it was hailed as a blessing.
Inez Stannert is the one-third owner of the Silver Queen Saloon; another third is owned by her friend and black man, Abe, and the final third is owned by her husband, whom she’s not seen in over a year. Inez is ready to move on with her relationship with Reverend Sands.
She has also agreed to become partners with “Frisco” Flo, the town’s madam. When one of Flo’s women is murdered, insurance surveyor Cecil Farnsworth is arrested. Inez believes he is innocent and sets out to find the killer.
Ann’s first two books (Silver Lies and Iron Ties) were wonderful. I am happy to say this third entry more than equals the previous two books.
I don’t know any other mysteries, with female protagonists, set during this time and in the old West. Parker’s obvious research comes through in a very strong sense of place. To a very well-plotted mystery, she adds the component of the politics of the time with the issues of Chinese immigration and women’s suffrage.
Parker’s wonderful characters and excellent dialogue enhance the qualities of this book. What really sets it apart, however, is that indefinable voice which makes a particular author such a pleasure to read. The defining except, for me, was: “A rocking chair held an open book, face down. Inez imagined the book whining at the mistreatment of it’s spine, cracked and in distress.”
I highly recommend starting at the beginning of this wonderful series.
March 10, 2009
This book is the 3rd in a series of historical myteries set in Leadville's boom days. I enjoyed this one (as well as the prior two) and think that Parker does a very good job of transporting the reader back in time.
Read
March 15, 2009Proofreading my ARC of Leaden Skies. :-)
November 26, 2018
As the last novel explored the advent of the railroad in Leadville, CO this book explores another real historical event, the visit of Ex President Ulysses S. Grant. It also concentrates on the soiled doves of Frisco Flo's brothel. Inez remains part owner of The Silver Queen, a saloon a stones throw away from the house. Abe, her co owner is married to a former prostitute and they are anticipating the birth of their child. We get a view into what a business woman and an African American freeman experience in business as the local fee collector and cop "Hatchet" extorts funds. Inez is particularly rankled because she is heavily fined for having actors perform at her establishment at Abe's instigation. One of them is a woman she knows to have had a liason with her husband Mark, back when she Abe and Mark were travelling. Inez also pulls against being married to a man who is missing, especially as things get more serious with Rev. Sands, but divorce in Colorado does not favor women. Ironically the appearence of suffragettes brings Inez no joy and serves as a political impediment for men. Even her lawyer is reticent to be associated with his bloomer wearing newspaperwoman sister.
Most of the mystery involves identifying who killed Lizzie, one of Flo's girls. It is a locked room mystery because it's Zelpha, the only likely suspect, is constitutionally incapable of such an action. Inez faces a lot of resistence in her investigation because of the taint of the wrong kind of women and the police wanting to protect the status quo. It's a very good read, and was very happy to have Mercury's Rise on hand because of the cliff hanger at the end of the book.
Most of the mystery involves identifying who killed Lizzie, one of Flo's girls. It is a locked room mystery because it's Zelpha, the only likely suspect, is constitutionally incapable of such an action. Inez faces a lot of resistence in her investigation because of the taint of the wrong kind of women and the police wanting to protect the status quo. It's a very good read, and was very happy to have Mercury's Rise on hand because of the cliff hanger at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2017
Leaden Skies by Ann Parker is book 3 of the Silver Rush mystery series set in 1880 Leadville Colorado. Ulysses S Grant comes to Leadville. Throngs gathered long before his arrival, and mass chaos ensued. A brothel fire threatened to engulf all the businesses on State Street, the fire department unable to reach the building through the crowds. Madam Frisco Flo, the owner of the fire-damaged brothel, proposes a business deal to Inez Stannert, part owner of the Silver Queen saloon. Inez decides to invest in Flo's new upscale brothel, as a faster way to gain the money she needs for financial security. Her part ownership of the Silver Queen was based on a handshake agreement with her husband, who has been missing 7 years. No evidence has been found of his death. Inez decides to begin divorce proceedings, for her own peace of mind. She has already taken a lover in Leadville, a relationship they both keep quiet. When Lizzie, one of Flo's whores, is found dead in a back alley, the mapmaker Cecil Farnswoth is accused of her murder. Flo insists on Lizzie's body being brought to the brothel, where whores take shifts watching over her body. Lizzie awakens, the girl watching her is attacked, and Lizzie is murdered. The young girl is the new murder suspect. She runs away. Inez does plenty of investigating, especially after Flo is jailed. She has begun to worry about her investment. She also has to contend with young arrogant rich John Quincy Adams Wesley and his scheming mother. With all subplots resolved, the book ends at the arrival of a surprise visitor.
May 19, 2017
This is number 3 in this series. I am really enjoying listening to these books.
February 5, 2018
Fantastic, in all ways. I loved it.
April 14, 2018
The Colorado setting, the fictional and real characters, what's not to like? This was a very good read.
June 6, 2018
A good locked room mystery.
December 2, 2018
Figures a cop would be the culprit.
November 14, 2019
This book reads well as a stand-alone. No need to read the first two to know what's going on.
Really enjoyed this western-murder-mystery story.
Really enjoyed this western-murder-mystery story.
March 9, 2020
Excellent series, really brings alive the time period and location.
January 4, 2021
This was one of my favorites in this series (second favorite maybe). Nothing like a good historical fiction novel to remind me that I never want to time travel unless I can disguise myself as a man. It blows my mind that it was so taboo for Inez to divorce a man who disappeared on her. I liked that Inez spent more time interacting with women in this book. Making deals, interviewing prostitutes, ect. Parker does a great job of filling her stories with women but this one felt more women-centric than the last two. I throughly enjoyed Frisco Flo's backstory and development over the last two books.
February 24, 2017
An intriguing historical mystery that was fun to read. Not as gritty as it could have been but a reasonable picture of life in the silver rush 1880.
November 25, 2010
In the summer of 1880, mining boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, isn't the only thing that leads folks into temptation. Although possible investment in Leadville's silver mines is a main reason that former president and Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant is now touring this city at the top of the Rockies.
As part owner of the Silver Queen Saloon, Inez Stannert has often observed the ruination that comes from yielding to temptation. Still, that knowledge hasn't stopped Inez from taking Reverend Justice Sands as her lover, in the absence of news of her missing husband. Nor does it stop her from striking a backroom deal with upscale brothel madam Frisco Flo, a deal that Inez gambles will make her financially independent.
But when the body of Lizzie, one of Flo's women, is discovered and Inez learns that Flo has another silent business partner, whose identity she will not divulge, Inez begins to have second thoughts. Inez, in a race against time to untangle the dealings of the high and the low during Grant's visit, must also face her own demons from the past, even as she fights to save her reputation and her life. This book was OK. I thought the story line was weird but it was only a book. Inez became a Sherlock Holmes of sorts.
As part owner of the Silver Queen Saloon, Inez Stannert has often observed the ruination that comes from yielding to temptation. Still, that knowledge hasn't stopped Inez from taking Reverend Justice Sands as her lover, in the absence of news of her missing husband. Nor does it stop her from striking a backroom deal with upscale brothel madam Frisco Flo, a deal that Inez gambles will make her financially independent.
But when the body of Lizzie, one of Flo's women, is discovered and Inez learns that Flo has another silent business partner, whose identity she will not divulge, Inez begins to have second thoughts. Inez, in a race against time to untangle the dealings of the high and the low during Grant's visit, must also face her own demons from the past, even as she fights to save her reputation and her life. This book was OK. I thought the story line was weird but it was only a book. Inez became a Sherlock Holmes of sorts.
July 6, 2009
Its late June in Leadville, Colorado. It's cold, as usual. The first train to Leadville has arrived carrying former President Ulysses S. Grant. It's started to rain and the streets have turned to mud. A love-sick mapmaker, Cecil Farnesworth, is in town, and enamored with one of the whores in Flo's covey. Someone tries to burn down Flo's whorehouse across the street fron Inez Stannert's saloon. The fire department is tied up with Grant's arrival parade. Inez is wrestling with getting a divorce from her absent husband. Then another one of the Flo's whores is found dead in the alley, with the love-sick mapmaker holding her. Can anything else go wrong?
And we're not one-third of the way through the Leaden Skies by Ann Parker.
The answer is obviosly, yes a lot more can and does go wrong. Inez Stannert, her partner Abe, and Reverend Justice Sands are back in the third book in Ann's Silver Rush series, and this may be the best yet.
If you can put this book down, even to go to bed, you're a better person than I am.
Another great read from Ann.
And we're not one-third of the way through the Leaden Skies by Ann Parker.
The answer is obviosly, yes a lot more can and does go wrong. Inez Stannert, her partner Abe, and Reverend Justice Sands are back in the third book in Ann's Silver Rush series, and this may be the best yet.
If you can put this book down, even to go to bed, you're a better person than I am.
Another great read from Ann.
November 1, 2012
Ann Parker's Leaden Skies is a murder mystery set in the booming mining town of Leadville, Colorado, during ex-president Grant's visit in the summer of 1880. Although I had a strong suspicion about “who done it” before some of the mechanisms for doing it were fully developed, one side mystery wasn't tied up until a small surprise in the penultimate chapter.
This is not great literature. The plot is solid, but the writing occasionally suffers from informal expressions and similes that seemed out of place in a story written in the third person. Although most characters, including both the heroine and the villain, have both admirable and deplorable traits, I can't say that I found myself identifying with any of them. Even so, I enjoyed the book and came away with some new insights about what life may have been like when Leadville was booming.
This is not great literature. The plot is solid, but the writing occasionally suffers from informal expressions and similes that seemed out of place in a story written in the third person. Although most characters, including both the heroine and the villain, have both admirable and deplorable traits, I can't say that I found myself identifying with any of them. Even so, I enjoyed the book and came away with some new insights about what life may have been like when Leadville was booming.
October 20, 2012
I started Ann Parker's series backwards..reading her 2012 "Mercury's Rise" book first and moving now to her third book, Leaden Skies from 2009. I'll read Silver Lies and Iron Ties as soon as the library gets them for me. (I actually bought three hardback copies of Mercury's Rise as gifts...I REALLY liked it.)
I only gave three stars because the mystery was not quite as well worked out as it was in Mercury's Rise; but this one did carry the character development along nicely. (Three stars means I LIKED IT, right?) This is definitely worth reading: historically accurate and well researched, with well edited conversations and nicely developed chapters. I won't say anything else except: read this author!
I only gave three stars because the mystery was not quite as well worked out as it was in Mercury's Rise; but this one did carry the character development along nicely. (Three stars means I LIKED IT, right?) This is definitely worth reading: historically accurate and well researched, with well edited conversations and nicely developed chapters. I won't say anything else except: read this author!
April 25, 2009
A pre-read of a July 2009 release, this third installment in the Silver Rush historical mystery series continues the saga of socialite turned saloon owner, Inez Stannert, just as the Denver Rio Grande railroad brings more silver barons and their assorted appetites to the burgeoning city in the clouds. As usual, bodies keep turning up right to the end. Historically and medically accurate, the author's love of research shines through as always. This series is a must-read for Victorian and western history buffs, as well as fans of not-quite-cozy mysteries. Expect to find a good dose of romantic intrigue as well.
July 31, 2009
This is the third book in the Silver Rush Mysteries and I enjoyed it but for some reason not as much as the first two. I'm not sure why, the characters were still engaging and the setting is outstanding. Maybe it was the heavy involvement of "ladies of the evening" combined with some pretty vicious people. That and I've never been a big Ulysses S. Grant fan and he has some role in what is going on here.
I'll continue with the series - I have to after the last line of the book (no spoilers here and you really need to read the whole book to get the full effect of that last line).
I'll continue with the series - I have to after the last line of the book (no spoilers here and you really need to read the whole book to get the full effect of that last line).
November 25, 2017
Leaden Skies, “a gripping tale of love, greed and murder in the Old West” says Publishers Weekly. Leaden Skies is the third in the Silver Rush Mystery series, and is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. She's well known for her attention to historical detail, accuracy and realism in her historical mysteries. During daylight hours, Ann Parker scribbles about solar energy technology, chilled beam systems and human capital strategies. At night, she delves into the past.
July 31, 2009
A great read with interesting characters and romance mixed into the mystery. Be prepared for bits of brothel language. As a writer working on a book set in Leadville during this same time, I can attest that Ann Parker is spot-on with descriptions of setting and events in this western boomtown. The ending left me eager for the next book in the series.
April 19, 2012
I've enojoyed all the Leadville books, but this one is my favorite (so far). Parker's writing has improved with each book, and the mystery plot in this one was especially satisfying. I'm looking forward to Mercury's Rise.
June 2, 2013
The author's attempts to weave real events of the day (e.g., women's suffrage, immigration, police corruption, political machinations, Grant's visit to Leadville) into her story work quite well. The quality of the mystery left something to be desired, but overall this was a satisfactory effort.
November 14, 2013
This book started slower than the first, through the first half I probably would have only given it 3 stars. But then things picked up and the characters and story gained depth and got more interesting.
November 23, 2016
4.5 stars. What I like: Inez, she's a bit of a badass; 1880s Leadville; the backstory, there's a lot of fleshing out and that keeps me interested. I like when an author so obviously does her homework. Just an excellent series, and I only wish there were a bunch more.
February 24, 2011
A real page-turner for historical fiction/mystery fans. This may be my favorite of the series. Entertaining and educational. Highly recommended.
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January 30, 2016tbr
November 11, 2013
Not recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews