Fire in the Hole

by Sybil Downing

The award-winning Fire in the Hole is the tale of a young widowed lawyer swept up in the violence of the famous Colorado coal strike of 1913-1914 known to history as the Ludlow Massacre. Opposed by the coal companies, the union, Wall Street, and the federal government, Alex hatches a scheme involving the President to overturn martial law and settle the strike. A gripping tale of a woman who dares to go beyond the conventions of the day to find freedom and justice amid a power struggle so terrifying it would wrench the nation's conscience for decades.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

245 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire in the Hole was a well-researched and beautifully written historical fiction novel about the haunting tale of a young widowed lawyer, Alexandra MacFarlane, practicing law in her father's prestigious law firm in Denver, swept up in the violence of the famous Colorado coal strike in the early twentieth century. Sybil Downing dramatically captures the human drama of the great coalfield war of 1913-1914 in southern Colorado culminating in what we all have come to know as the Ludlow Massacre, a horrific time in history when twenty-three men, women and children were murdered at the hands of the Colorado Militia. This massive explosion of violence was finally ended when President Wilson sent in federal troops ending one of the nations most grueling strikes in December 1914. However, it must be noted that strikes followed in 1919, 1921, and 1927. It was not only the many coal mines in southern Colorado that these unions were fighting for workers' rights but in the copper mines of Michigan through the United Mine Workers of America.

Being from Colorado, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Fire in the Hole launched the University Press of Colorado's Women's West series recognizing the exciting contributions of women in the American West in 1996. As you may surmise, this book has been on my bookshelf for too long.

[M.R. Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well-researched. Fire in the Hole brought context and character to the places I visited over Spring Break. It's more engaging for its history than for characters or plot, though. I think the biggest issue was that the central conflict involved the outcome of the strike, so I already knew how it would end. There were no stakes outside the strike to keep me deeply invested in the story.

[Toni Mench]

Book club choice, historical fiction. Subject matter interesting, thought book was so-so, maybe a little better than average.

[Crystal Lemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I am enjoying this book but there are a few places in the book where the transitions to new settings are very choppy, I don't care for that. I am about halfway at the moment.