Case File: Union Pacific

Case File #1

by Paul Colt

President Ulysses S. Grant dispatches Justice Department Special Services Officer, U.S. Marshal J.R. Chance to investigate suspected railroad construction fraud. Chance confronts a conspiracy that will stop at nothing in its quest to monopolize Union Pacific construction contracts and the lucrative right of way land grants. Chance, and the Cheyenne woman who saves his life, follow a trail that ultimately leads to the financial center of the plot in New York.

284 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2009

About the author

Paul Colt’s critically acclaimed historical fiction crackles with authenticity. His analytical insight, investigative research and genuine horse sense bring history to life in dramatizations that entertain and inform. Paul’s Great Western Detective League series does action-adventure western style. Grasshoppers in Summer, and Friends Call Me Bat are Western Writers of America Spur Award honorees. Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory received the Marilyn Brown Novel Award, presented by Utah Valley University.

Reviewers recognize Paul’s lively, fast paced style, complex plots, and touches of humor. Readers say,

“Pick-up a Paul Colt book, you can’t put it down.”
To learn more visit Facebook @paulcoltauthor

Reviews

[Joe Stack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an entertaining western with quick pacing and action sequences that are cinematically written. Fraud in the building of the intercontinental railroad, specifically the Union Pacific portion, is the center of the criminal investigation, but the conflicts in the story are not solely between the criminal perpetrators and U.S. Marshal Chance. The story also has a perspective on the conflict between the nation’s expansion and the Indigenous way of life on the plains.

To enhance the conflict between the two cultures, the author has Chance interested in two women, one being a Cheyenne woman, Mourning Dove.

As interesting as the hunt for the criminal is, I found that the story perked up the most when the plot involved Mourning Dove. I think this is where this historical fiction is at its best and most informative with its perspective on the clash between ways of life.

A weakness in the story for me was its reliance on hunches and feelings in anticipating conflict. Too much luck for me. Nonetheless, the story holds one’s interest, and while you may anticipate the various outcomes the fun is in how the author gets you there. Marshal Chance and Mourning Dove make for an interesting partnership. The story ends with a set up for a sequel. It will be interesting to see how the author develops this duo.

[Paul Colt]

The first book in the J.R. Chance series. President Ulysses S. Grant dispatches Justice Department Special Services Officer, U.S. Marshal J.R. Chance to investigate suspected railroad construction fraud. Chance confronts a ruthless conspiracy that will stop at nothing in its quest to monopolize Union Pacific construction contracts and the lucrative right of way land grants that go with them. Fast paced action sweeps the young marshal, and the Cheyenne woman who saves his life, across the Wyoming basin on a trail that ultimately leads to the financial center of the plot in New York.