Mercury's Rise

September 5, 2011
Set in the summer of 1880, Parker’s engaging fourth historical featuring saloon owner Inez Stannert (after 2009’s Leaden Skies) finds Inez riding a stagecoach from Leadville, Colo., to the town of Manitou, where her two-year-old son, William, has been cared for by her sister, Harmony DuChamps. The bumpy trip takes a fatal turn when a fellow passenger, businessman Edward Pace, keels over after imbibing a medicinal tonic. Inez’s awkward reunion with William, who doesn’t recognize her and is known by her sister’s married name, naturally preoccupies her at first, but she soon finds herself investigating Pace’s death and its possible connection with Manitou’s Mountain Springs House spa, where she’s a guest. Parker smoothly mixes the personal dramas and the detection in an installment that’s an easy jumping-on point for newcomers. Fans of independent female sleuths like Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy and Laurie King’s Mary Russell will be satisfied.

October 15, 2011
In her fourth adventure (Leaden Skies, 2008, etc.), Inez Stannert, a partner in the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, finds 1880 Colorado no more receptive to a woman of independent spirit. Inez's husband Mark, Civil War veteran and professional charmer, vanished over a year ago. But now, as she's seeking to restore some order to her life by getting a divorce, he suddenly returns. Furious but undaunted, Inez continues her plan to visit the Manitou Mountain Springs House, where her sister has arrived from the East with Inez's young son, whose lung condition requires him to live at a lower elevation. On the stage trip down to Manitou, businessman Edward Pace, feeling ill, takes a swig of his wife's tonic and dies before their eyes. When his widow asks Inez to investigate, she quickly discovers that the hotel is a hotbed of deception and danger. The hotel doctor, a specialist in tuberculosis, makes up special tonics that the patients think are so effective that they wouldn't dream of leaving the hotel and those that are near death are quietly removed. Her brother-in-law is being wooed by the hotel owners to invest in the property. Someone pushes her down the stairs, but she survives her mishap, only to face death again in a carriage accident. Despite her misgivings about their partnership, Inez feels that she must call upon her wily husband to come to town posing as a likely investor if she's to decipher the secrets that threaten her and her family. Though the meandering mystery won't tax your brain, Parker remains worth reading for the historical detail and the descriptions of a stunning area of Colorado.

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September 1, 2011

It's 1880, and Inez Stannert, part owner of the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, CO, returns in Parker's excellent historical series (Leaden Skies). Inez, a suffer-no-fools type, is headed for a spa vacation in Manitou Springs, looking forward to reuniting with her toddler son and her sister. Unfortunately, one of her traveling companions keels over dead, just after swallowing a bottle of medicine. The new widow, now suspicious of the spa's medical personnel, begs Inez for help. Manitou Springs is touting itself as a health destination for people suffering from tuberculosis, and quackery is rampant. But why would a health resort be killing off its guests? If that's not enough, Inez is startled by her husband's unexpected return, since she'd been planning to divorce him. VERDICT A dazzling amount of historical detail is woven in yet never overpowers this story of deceit and greed. Laden with intrigue, this will also appeal to readers of historical Westerns. Parker's depth of knowledge coupled with an all-too-human cast leaves us eager to see what Inez will do next. Encore!

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