Fresh out of the territorial prison, Tucker Ashley meets up with his old friend Jack, who staked a claim along Deadwood Gulch at the beginning of the Black Hills gold rush. But they arrive at the claim to find it has been jumped by two men. Jack and Tucker kick them off, only to be confronted by rule enforcers for the mining district—Zell McGinty and his son, Trait, gunmen known for their ruthlessness. Tucker’s long prison sentence—away from the daily practice of gun handling—has deadened his skills, so he and Jack are powerless to resist them and are forced off their claim.
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They learn that miners all along the gulch have been killed. Indians are being blamed—until Jack and Tucker uncover that most of them were murdered by the McGintys, who’d filed with the mining district for the dead men’s claims. The dead include the son of Ramona Hazelton of Hazelton Oil, who was killed and scalped, a Lakota arrow in his back. She offers a reward for the Indian who killed her son, sending a swarm of greedy miners into the hills to find him, but few of them return.
When the McGintys find out Tucker has uncovered their murderous scheme, Trait goes on the hunt for Tucker. But Tucker’s legendary skills with a pistol still have to be relearned, and all the while, he’s looking over his shoulder, waiting to be confronted by the deadly gunman.
Rating
There’s nothing better than a great fiction read that gets you so caught up in the mystery you forget the day you are living in! As a True crime writer myself, it’s always most impressive to see a mystery fiction writer get the details done correctly! Don’t miss this book! Alan R. Warren Best-Selling True Crime Author House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC
Langdon owns a mystery book store, but the pandemic is in full swing and the Governor has issued mandates and lockdowns making Langdon a homebody working around the house and getting closer to his wife. Besides, his PI business has also shut down since people are staying in their own homes. But then everything is opened again, but there are still mandates for masks from the governor. As Langdon’s book store opens, so does his PI business. He first gets a husband who is certain his wife was kidnapped and wants Langdon to find her. But there was something that just didn’t sit right with Langdon even though he agreed to check the case out. Maybe she just ran away! Then there is the woman who comes to him to investigate and find proof that her former boss (who fired her) not only sexually harassed her but he did it to other women. And to top it all of, a 4 year old boy is kidnapped and and the group who kidnapped him said they would kill the boy if the governor didn’t lift the mask mandate. Hit with these three cases at once is a burden to try and solve but our hero, Langdon, his wife and his friends go about helping him solve the 3 very twisted cases. Can they even be related? Will Langdon and crew be able to solve these mysteries? Will they be able to save the little 4 year old in time? There is a little too much when we get to read Langdon’s relationship with his wife, it sort of takes away from the main story line. There is also a political slant to the story. But the author writes well and everything flowed. I received an ARC of this book but the opinions stated here are strictly my own.
The question of masking has been a problem since the first wave of the Pandemic has eased. But one man in Maine has threatened to kill a 4 year old boy he has abducted if masking requirements are not eased. Then there’s the problem of a missing wife. Was she also kidnapped? And the woman who claims sexual harassment from a shady employer. So many problems and so little time to resolve them all. An enjoyable book and wonderful characters. I received an ARC for free and this is my honest review. Highly Recommended.
I found the book to be a bit choppy, jumping rapidly between characters. I did not feel it necessary to have the main character constantly having sex with his wife. Did not add to the story at all. I also felt the book was politically one-sided. People that believe in the vaccine and masking are the good guys and those that don’t are the bad guys. I don’t believe either group is bad. Everyone has the right to choose and should not be forced or demonized. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The novel occurs in Brunswick, Maine at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic (The Angst) when private investigators, Goff Langdon and his wife, are hired to find a kidnapped four-year-old boy. The kidnapper sends a video to a TV station and threatens to kill the boy by midnight on Halloween if the governor of Maine doesn’t lift restrictions on businesses and masking. Langdon has eight days to solve the mystery. This book has a great list of characters, and the plot is well developed up to the surprising and thrilling ending.
A fun mystery but not compelling. A good one to read when you know you cant finish in one sitting. Good characters to love and love to hate. A few twists to keep you on your toes. Worth the read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
