Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

SECRETS REVEALED, Cedar Islands Tales Book 4 by Kate Vale – Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Women’s Fiction

Owen Haskins is returning to his childhood home on fictional Cedar Island (which has an uncanny resemblance to Whidbey Island for those readers in the know) with his seven-year-old son Ian so they can have a new start. Ian has had trouble being bullied in his old school, and Owen is worried that new teacher, Faith Russell, may not be up to the job of helping his vulnerable son. Of course, Faith and Owen clash, while simultaneously being attracted to each other, but painful experiences in their past initially keep them from acting on their growing feelings for one another.

Secrets Revealed by Kate Vale is the 4th book in her Cedar Island Tales series, and it is not necessary to read the previous tales to jump right into this heartwarming romance. Each of the main characters has their own secret that affects their relationship. Faith is an accomplished teacher but is distrustful of men. She dresses in clothes that used to fit but now are worn and oversized, almost as a shield to keep people at bay, something her mother (who shares the other side of a duplex with her) constantly harps about.

Owen left his hometown due to a very difficult relationship with his abusive father. He didn’t return until after his mother’s death—something he regrets.

Ian is withdrawn, possibly from the bullying he endured at his old school, but he has a secret as well, one that goes back to the tragedies of losing both his mother and grandmother in Idaho while still a young boy.

As Owen and Faith interact, they can’t ignore the attraction between them, and they begin a sensual relationship but agree not to become “serious.” Faith can’t help but fall in love with Owen, but their relationship is complicated by misunderstandings and young Ian’s desire to have Miss Russell become his new mom. These secrets have a lot of sway over the lives of those keeping them, and the story is a good reminder of the power of secrets and words in our lives.

A nice twist in the romance genre, Vale tells her story from not just the point-of-view of the two romantic leads, but also from the viewpoint of young Ian, a character whom readers will care about from the very beginning of the novel.

Secrets Revealed won First Place in the 2016 Mystery & Mayhem Awards for Kate Vale.

August 1, 2018
A TALL TALE ABOUT a DACHSHUND and a PELICAN: How a Friendship Came to Be by Kizzie Jones – Children’s Books, Tall Tales, Friendship

Goldie the dachshund thinks she’s found a new friend. When she comes upon a pelican on the beach during her walk with her owner, she immediately approaches the strange creature, trying to strike up a new friendship based on their physical similarities.

After she points out they both have long muzzles, Pelican shows how its mouth is made to hold fish, which Goldie cannot do. Undeterred, Goldie points out their similarly long bodies, but Pelican explains how its body isn’t covered with fur, but feathers made to fly. Finally, Goldie accepts how truly different the two are and is about to leave disappointed when Pelican explains that creatures with differences can still be friends as long as they try to learn about each other. Just like Goldie and the little girl who owns her, the two very different creatures become forever friends.

Kizzie Jones has created a whimsical tale celebrating the differences in everyone. Whether human, animal, or bird, differences don’t have to separate. In accepting the differences rather than forcing similarity, people can create a symbiotic existence, just like a dachshund and a pelican. In a world that often condemns individuality and forces an artificial sameness, this short children’s book, A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be, embraces what makes people, or in Goldie’s case, animals, unique.

While myths and tall tales typically show fun explanations for how the natural world works, A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican takes a more emotional and less physical path. When Goldie is about to leave disappointed, Pelican points out what makes both him and Goldie unique, effectively cheering Goldie on to appreciate those differences while showing how friends don’t have to be the same, only accepting and receptive to diversity.

It is also beautiful that Goldie sees similarities where there really aren’t any. She looks for ways to identify with Pelican before she introduces herself. She works to find common ground even when it means trying (and failing) to fly. What a better place this world would be if everyone looked for the “sameness” in others instead of first attacking the differences!

Scott Ward’s illustrations make the tale come alive with bright colors and whimsical representations of sand and sea. An unusual feature is the illustrations within the written text. Graphic designer, Nelz (Nelson Agustín), who did the interior and cover book design, highlights some important words by making them cartoonish and large, which adds to the overall fantastical appearance sometimes with a sprinkling of stars, sometimes with a rainbow of color.

Perhaps Goldie says it best when she summarizes, “All kinds of creatures can like each other without being alike.” Humans of all ages, not just the children for whom the book is written, can use a little more Goldie attitude.

Simply put, here is a beautifully penned children’s story about friendship and diversity and what happens when a dachshund and a pelican happen to meet one glorious day.

A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be won First Place in the LITTLE PEEPS Awards for Kizzie Jones. Congratulations!

July 27, 2018
The VOID: Book 3 in the TANNER SEQUENCE by Timothy Johnston – Sci-fi Thriller, Galactic Empire, Space Exploration Mystery

Homicide detective, Lieutenant Kyle Tanner, successfully captures the brutally sadistic serial killer known as The Reaper, whose modus operandi is to systematically dismember his victims while keeping them alive to suffer as long as possible. Tanner receives orders to transport The Reaper from Pluto, where he and his soul-mate Shaheen are stationed, to the CCF Home System where the killer will stand trial. Tanner, more dissatisfied than ever about the CCF contemplates a way out, a way to fall off the grid to start life anew on some distant outpost free from oppression and the totalitarian military regime of the CCF. At least, that’s the plan as soon as he and Shaheen complete their mission to deliver The Reaper to authorities in The Home System.

Along the way, their small transport ship loses power as some unseen force shuts down the systems aboard the ship. Tanner, Shaheen, and his prisoner are left to drift aimlessly in space with a disabled drive and a damaged communications system whose crippled range won’t allow them to call Pluto or any other station for help.

As the number of failing systems grows, their fortunes change. A research ship in the vicinity, the Phoenix, passes within range to receive their distress call and rescues them. But all is not well aboard the Phoenix, either. They have hit the same anomaly and are battling systems shutdowns of their own, albeit with more success.

As the story progresses, Tanner is sure of three things, none of them good: The crew is hiding a secret. No help is on the way. And he a Shaheen will be dead within three days.

Johnston is a master at blending science fiction, mystery, and thriller genres into a captivating read. The Void is well written in the first person, past tense, from the protagonist Tanner’s point of view. The characters are well fleshed out, engaging, and believable. The does contain mild sexual content, though nothing overly graphic. And there is violence, more than this reviewer expected in light of his previous experience with the Kyle Tanner series. This occurs at the very beginning of the novel and almost crossed the line. Then the story takes over and picks up speed leaving the graphic violence behind. (See Chanticleer Reviews of Book 1, The Furnace and Book 2, The Freezer.)

In deep trouble on an unfamiliar ship with the odds stacked against him, Tanner must determine who is enemy, who can be trusted, and what secrets lurk aboard the Phoenix.

The Tanner Sequence by Timothy Johnston won first place in the 2015 Clue Awards in the Chanticleer Int’l Writing Competitions.

July 24, 2018
THREADS of PASSION by T.K. Conklin – Western, Romance, Historical Fiction

Who is trying to kill Logan McCord?

The frontier town of Rimrock, deep in Wyoming Territory, is a usually a quiet little place, at least it has been for the past two years since Willow and Skye Strykes settled there to be close to their brother. The sisters stay busy with their successful dress shop, the occasional town dance breaking the monotony, but when Willow’s would-be suitor nearly hangs for a murder he didn’t commit, their lives are altered forever.

In a desperate bid to save the man she doesn’t even realize she loves, Willow does a crazy thing that ends with the two in a forced marriage, but the young couple’s problems don’t end at the wedding alter. Willow and Skye have their own secret, the secret which compelled them to run from New Orleans in the first place. Before long, Skye and Willow realize their secret has caught up with them, and they must find a way to escape it again before it consumes the entire town.

The Southern-transplanted sisters, Willow and Skye, are far from the typical romance novel heroines. Both women carry their own scars, Willow on the outside, Skye on the inside. Willow’s limp, the product of severe child abuse, isn’t a focus in the novel but is a definite reflection of the kind of protagonist Willow is. Her strength despite her weakness carries both herself and her sister for a time, and though Skye seems weak and damaged beyond repair, she manages to find a tenacity she never knew she had. Her ordeal is terrifying and devastating, but her love for Willow proves stronger than her memories and the pull of her suicidal thoughts. She must literally face her demons, and with her sister, she manages to do exactly that. Though initially, the number of familial relationships described are daunting, the connection between siblings, both with the women and the men, prove to be a major theme in the novel.

Logan, the barroom brawler, on the surface appears to be the typical romance hero. But he is more than tall, dark, and handsome. Both Logan and Rafe, his cousin who loves Skye, are gentle and loving. These men help the sisters find the courage to not only share their story but to challenge it head-on. The withholding of physical relationships by these characters creates a strong sexual tension which greatly enhances the plot, and for all those readers who love a touch of the paranormal, Logan’s family will add that, too.

With threats on all sides and action galore, the mystery will keep you guessing. The almost dual storylines give readers two loves stories for the price of one, and with the potential for a series, more great adventures are likely to come for the McCords and the Strykes.

Threads of Passion won First Place in the 2017 LARAMIE Awards for T.K. Conklin!

July 22, 2018
AS the RIBBONS FALL by Kara Wolfe – Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Sam had been a curious, resourceful child growing up in a family torn apart by a contentious past. At a very young age, he’d discovered a fascination with killing. Now almost an adult, he’s anxious to find his little sister who he’s sure is living somewhere with their mother. The mother who had abandoned him. Although he was young when they were separated, Sam remembers his sister well, including the cute green ribbons she always wore in her hair. Now author Kara Wolfe shows readers what Sam really thinks in As the Ribbons Fall.

Until he can find the original object of his desire to kill, Sam tries to satisfy his murderous hunger by stalking and attacking substitutes. These girls are carefully chosen for their look and demeanor as he eerily watches them. The third book in the Savannah series, As the Ribbons Fall, draws to a conclusion the mystery of the Dark-Eyed One, exposing horrors of Sam’s secret past. Is it the past that drives his murderous rage? Or as Sam says, was this desire to kill something that he was born with, an innate part of his being?

The fate of Senior Detective Jordan Kinsey and medical examiner Jena Greene of the Savannah Police Department is darkly in question when they are caught off guard and captured by Sam. Now Detectives Vance and Michael are leading the police team to find their colleagues, and to stop this serial killer once and for all.

The chilling portrait of this killer’s thoughts as the author brings you along to one of his murders saturates the pages with terror and horror. The dimensions of desperation in both the killer and the victim are tangible, making this is terrific writing that takes the reader on a step by step journey to the coldest and darkest purgatory of human nature.

At the same time, the author brilliantly contrasts this evil with dynamic writing about the resourcefulness, intelligence, and tools used by the heroes fighting against the killer.

A passionate and talented author, Kara Wolfe excels at the art of suspense as she offers an unforgettable glimpse into the mind of a serial killer.

As the Ribbons Fall made the Shortlist for the 2017 CLUE Awards!

July 20, 2018
JACK OUT of the BOX by Timothy Vincent – Dark Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal

LongPost captain Benjamin Lasak has been making deliveries for over 100 years, an unheard-of feat for his fellow postmen. During his time in pre-programmed space travel on the Pelagius, he usually enjoys the solitude, his outdated paper books, and the cryo-sleep, which keeps him looking twenty years old, but when Lasak wants to distract Mic, his floating game console, from her imminent win at their favorite game, he decides to ignore LongPost protocol and follow the suspicious appearance on his screen.

Suddenly, Lasak finds himself stranded on a planet both familiar and unique. His first contact is with a sadistic alien known on Earth as Jack the Ripper, whom Lasak inadvertently releases from his prison vault. Lasak and Mic must join forces with Michael Carlin, Jack’s original imprisoner, to recapture Jack before he can destroy this world or worse, return to Earth.

Jack Out of the Box is an “Alice in Wonderland” journey down the rabbit hole, a marriage between steampunk, paranormal, dark fantasy, and alternate reality. Jack’s world is a mixture of the old and the new, where Victorian lamplighters and high-tech control panels existent in the same plane. From a village stuck in nineteenth-century England to Elysian Fields where Mother Nature becomes corporeal, every corner presents a new, intriguing environment.

However, the planet entrapping Ben’s ship isn’t all fun and games. It is, in part, a dark prison world, where Jack once reeked more havoc than he ever did on Earth, holding and breeding his human victims. The graphic descriptions of his previous violence darken the beauty of the landscape and its mostly rural residents. At times, the description of violence is disturbing, especially when juxtaposed against the idyllic.

This complex novel includes both metaphorical and concrete imagery in Jack’s world, including representations of Heaven and Hell, demons, and even Lilith. Jack introduces himself as Bell, but he doesn’t “ring true,” and later the reader will see the destruction of the pristine countryside by Jack’s animalistic creations, a fitting metaphor of man’s destruction of the beauty in the world.

Mic’s existential journey to awareness is the real story of the novel. Created by an MIT professor, she is more than just an unbeatable gamer sidekick. The fate-like, “accidental” purchase of Mic seems like a play on destiny, and when she is given her forbidden awareness, Mic steps into that metaphorical area where she begins to question her existence. The exploration of Mic’s consciousness is short-lived but is indeed an interesting discussion; perhaps, it will continue into the sequel.

Dark fantasy and paranormal/alternate reality lovers alike will enjoy the unusual world that Timothy Vincent offers in Jack Out of the Box. It’s a journey from which the reader may never wish to return.

Recommended.

“Timothy Vincent’s out of this world dark fantasy/thriller, Jack Out of the Box takes readers on a fantastically frightening voyage where choices matter – and one wrong choice releases dark and violent chaos back into the world.” – Chanticleer Reviews

July 19, 2018
FROM LIBERTY to MAGNOLIA: In SEARCH of the AMERICAN DREAM by Janice Ellis, Ph.D. – Memoir, Descrimination & Racism, Women

From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream, a timely and important book, won GRAND PRIZE in the 2018 CIBAs in the JOURNEY division for Memoir.

As a black woman on a cotton farm in Mississippi in the 1960s, Janice Ellis could have resigned herself to a life full of status quo: never speaking up for herself, never speaking out against injustice or racism. Instead, she never let unsettling times define her or hold her back, even as a witness to some of the ugliest racial violence this country has seen. In her candid and thought-provoking memoir, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream, Ellis vividly depicts her life in the South during the height of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements.

Through fluid and skillful writing, Ellis recounts the battles she encountered due to her skin color or due to her gender: an abusive husband, discouragement to further her education, sexual and racial discrimination in the workplace, a lack of support from friends and family when she runs for election. Despite these mounting obstacles, she goes on to earn her Ph.D., lands leadership roles and furthers her career, and even runs for mayor in a major US city. Her faith in God and her unwavering belief that the American Dream should be accessible and attainable to everyone are what lead her.

The story is hopeful and inspirational, yet there are painful passages for both writer to recount and reader to absorb. One such incident occurs on a Saturday afternoon in Mississippi when two little white boys spit at her parents as they exited a store. Most hurtful about the event for Ellis was seeing her parents flee to their car for safety; for blacks lived in fear as racial violence was targeted and prevalent during the 60s. Of course, there was the added fear of being female. While she lived fully aware of the color of her skin, she often wondered which came first: her race or her gender.

Ellis is fascinated with the writings of both CBS Newsman Eric Sevareid and political commentator Walter Lippmann, and in Chapter 6, she dives in deep explaining the theories of Lippmann in particular. But she also shares the pivotal moment in her career, and in her life, when she meets Sevareid at his home for an interview. Ellis has gone on to become a political and social commentator and is a prolific columnist to this day, writing about race and gender. Her premise is that race is a modern construct and that we all belong to the human race.

Interestingly, the title of the book comes from the names of two surrounding towns where she grew up. Liberty and Magnolia are stand-in metaphors for freedom and the American Dream, something that seems unattainable to a portion of the American population.

Despite her struggles, she believes the country has come a long way in racial and gender relations. Her overarching message is to stay true to oneself and continue to follow your heart, no matter how unpopular or uncomfortable your choices.

Anyone facing adversity will be moved by this tenacious woman’s account, which serves as a historical record amid one of the most tumultuous yet empowering eras in American history. Complete with a discussion guide in the Appendix, the book can serve as a text for a college course or a community book club exploring themes of race and gender.

Certainly, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream is a timely and important book. Highly recommended.

July 17, 2018
The LOST YEARS of BILLY BATTLES, Book 3 in the Finding Billy Battles Trilogy by Ronald E. Yates – Historical Fiction, Literary, Action/Adventure

Congratulations to Ronald E. Yates for winning the 2018 CIBAs

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE – BEST BOOK of the YEAR

for The Lost Years of Billy Battles!

Reviewer’s Note: I’ve begun few books as eagerly as I did this one. Having read the first two volumes of Ronald E. Yates’ extraordinary trilogy, Finding Billy Battles, I couldn’t wait to continue his story in the final volume, The Lost Years of Billy Battles. The third installment lived up to the exceedingly high standard set in the first two volumes. Billy Battles is as dear and fascinating a literary friend as I have ever encountered. I learned much about American and international history, and you will too if you read any or all of the books. Each is an independent work, but if read in relation to the others, the reader experiences that all too rare sense of complete transport to another world, one fully realized in these pages because the storytelling is so skillful and thoroughly captivating. Trust me; you’ll want to read all three volumes.

For those not familiar with the series, Yates presents his books as works of “faction,” a story “based in part on fact” but also “augmented by narrative fiction.” The protagonist, William Fitzroy Raglan Battles, born in Kansas in 1860, lives a full 100 years and takes part in some of the most significant events of his time. He encounters key figures of the day (Bat Masterson Wyatt Earp, President Wilson, Francisco “Pancho” Villa, among others), gives us their backstories, and quietly appraises them.

Yates, a journalist with a keen eye for nuance and subtlety, has created a protagonist with superb critical thinking skills. William, a journalist, and occasional soldier examines people and transactions from every angle. Just as at ease in a Kansas saloon as he is at the captain’s table on a grand ocean liner on the Pacific, Billy Battles is also ruthlessly honest about his shortcomings and feels tremendous guilt when he acts impulsively or inadvertently causes harm to others. Yates has crafted a fully human character who is easy to admire, perhaps because he is admirably cognizant of his own flaws.

This installment of the trilogy opens with William enjoying middle age in Chicago with his second wife, his beloved Katharina, a former German baroness, and his daughter, Anna Marie, now a student at Northwestern University. It is 1914 and World War I is raging in Europe. Germany, late to the spoils of colonialism, is seeking to make up for lost time with its policy of Weltpolitik that advocates for imperialist expansion.

When William is contacted by his friend and former military associate, General Freddy Funston, who informs him that a German merchant ship is bound to Mexico to deliver arms and munitions to its dictator, General Victoriano Huerta, William and Katharina travel to Mexico and pose as tourists while trying to find out as much as possible about the shipment. They learn that in addition to weapons, the ship is carrying a fortune in gold and silver bars. Further investigations reveal that Germany hopes to convince Mexico to engage in skirmishes along the U.S. border, creating enough havoc that America will sit out the war in Europe and thus allow Germany expansionist gains there.

Although in Mexico at the behest of the U.S. military, William and Katharina readily understand why Mexicans feel hostile to Americans; a significant portion of the Southwest used to belong to Mexico. However, President Wilson does not recognize Huerta and is all too eager to engage in big stick diplomacy when he chooses. Also, many Mexicans are desperately poor, the Campesinos working as virtual slaves on haciendas for no pay. It’s not surprising that they cheer on Venustiano Carranza, leader of the Northern opposition Constitutionalists charismatic lieutenants, the intense, intelligent Zapata who yearns to bring about land reform for the poor, and the wild but charismatic Pancho Villa who sparks outrage when his men murder 17 Texas mining engineers.

The U.S. military decides to intervene and, once again, William is impressed into service, this time with General Pershing and the General’s aide-de-camp, George S. Patton. While the U.S. Army has the latest in weaponry and travels with motorized vehicles and untrustworthy aircraft, the new technology causes a lot of noise, making it difficult to sneak up on Villa and his light-footed army, one that’s thoroughly familiar with the terrain and beloved by the people. William’s observations and reporting on all of this for his Chicago newspaper are riveting and wryly amusing.

Following this Mexican adventure, William barely has time to catch his breath when his past once again catches up with him. Mason Bledsoe, the son of the man William killed due to complex circumstances when he was just nineteen, abducts Katharina. With the help of his cousin, William determines his wife’s whereabouts and attempts to free her, as well as seek vengeance on those who kidnapped her. The results of his actions necessitate his leaving the country for his safety and, more importantly in his mind, the safety of his family. Over the next decades, he will spend time in the Philippines and Indochina, where he will again grapple with the blatant injustices of colonialism, aggrieved by the plight of native men working 16-hour days on French rubber plantations in intense heat, their flesh bitten and eaten by mosquitoes, oxflies, and army ants.

While abroad, William’s personal life takes some shocking turns that motivates him to return to the U.S. in 1936. His final years in Kansas, his birthplace, are the quietest of his life. Billy often muses on all he has seen and experienced. When he meets his great-grandson, Ted Sayles, he decides to bequeath him his guns, uniforms, journals, and correspondence. In the Epilogue, Ted addresses the reader and shares his thoughts about some shocking surprises he finds amongst William’s papers. It’s a most satisfying conclusion to an extraordinary trilogy.

At his behest, William’s grave includes the simple statement, “He did his best.” The same is undoubtedly true of the author, Ronald E. Yates. The research involved in putting William’s story on the page had to have been immense. In addition to a careful plotting of history, the details he weaves into his prose regarding fashion, food, weather, social class, and technology make this the richest account of a life imaginable.

Ronald E. Yates won 1st Place in the SOMERSET Awards for The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles: Book 2, Finding Billy Battles Trilogy of this extraordinary series.

July 13, 2018
The DEVIL’S OWN DESPERADO by Lynda J. Cox – Western Gunslinger, Romance, Literary

Can a gunfighter ever truly hang up his guns and settle down in one place? When Colt Evans is wounded in a fight, he flees – as far away as he can get – searching for a place to heal. What he finds has the potential to change his life forever and make him yearn to settle down. But, will his past stay behind him?

Injured and on the run, Colt Evans stumbles upon a remote homestead owned and operated by Amelia McCollister and her two siblings. The orphaned siblings have strong feelings about gunfighters as their parents were shot to death by outlaws several years earlier. Due to this sad fact, when the well-known gunfighter arrives at the homestead, Amelia is reluctant to open her home to the man.

Despite this, she follow her nature to heal rather than harm the wounded Colt against the warnings of the doctor and Marshall of the town. As she nurses Colt back to health, Amelia’s strong misgivings about this stranger seem to disappear. Colt finds that the longer he is with Amelia, he doesn’t want to leave. However, he knows that someone will eventually come looking for him. He does not want to stay and bring trouble to Amelia and her siblings; however, the longer he remains on the homestead, the stronger his feeling for Amelia grow.

As Colt had feared, his enemies find him. The danger is just too severe for Amelia and her brothers, so Colt leaves. However, once a gunfighter, always a gunfighter – at least in reputation. When Colt is ambushed and left for dead, the only thing that keeps him alive is his last drive to find Amelia, the love of his life.

Lynda J. Cox has crafted an enjoyable novel of the Old West. Nelson’s writing is engaging and flawless as she weaves the needs and desires of her two main characters against the brutal reality of the 1880’s into the story. This is a classic romance set-up, and it works to the readers’ delight. The book presents a well-balanced mix of romance and gritty 1887 Wild West action. This combination makes for one page-turning Western epic.

The Devil’s Own Desperado by Lynda J. Cox won First Place in the 2015 LARAMIE Awards!

July 11, 2018
CLEVENGER GOLD: The TRUE STORY of MURDER and UNFOUND TREASURE by Scott Elson Swapp – Old West, Crime Thriller, Treasure

Sam Clevenger is an old curmudgeon, endlessly cranky and critical of those around him. He has liquidated his assets, his ranch and livestock, into gold bullion, worth about a million dollars by today’s figures. His “bank” is an old Dutch oven pot and no one knows the pot’s contents.

When Clevenger’s wife, Charlotte, falls ill with tuberculosis, Sam hopes moving to Washington Territory will improve her health. Sam is mean to everyone – even Jessie, the couple’s fifteen-year-old adopted daughter. He treats her like a ranch hand, and she resents it. But everyone has their limits, and Sam realizes that moving horses and mules through the Buckskin Mountains will be very difficult, more work than he and Jessie can manage, so he hires John Johnson, a bi-racial soldier just released from the U.S. Cavalry, and a handsome young man, Frank Willson, who’s eager to work.

The group has many adventures as they head from the Arizona Territory north. Several indigenous peoples are in the area and relations with various tribes are extremely tense. Hungry coyotes stalk the travelers and tensions rise high as the group must ferry the wagon and the animals across a tumultuous river. Despite the care the Clevenger’s take with the wagons, Charlotte has difficulty traveling over rough terrain and the biggest fear is she won’t last the trip.

Of course, where there are young vivacious people working together, romance is bound to grow. So, it is no surprise when a flirtation begins between Frank and Jessie blooms into something more, causing Frank to become increasingly protective of her when Sam treats her with cruelty and scorn. John and Frank work well together, but, being of mixed race, John is subject to Sam’s racist language and attitudes.

Traveling by wagon with a team of animals in the late 19^th century was a huge and precarious undertaking. Each day is a quest to cover as many miles as possible and to find a safe place to sleep at night. Hunting rabbits for dinner is a gamble because the sound of gunshots could alert Indians to the campers’ presence. Readers will feel as if they’re on the journey themselves.

Sam hides his gold in plain sight, the Dutch oven hangs from the wagon like any kitchen utensil by day, but he buries the pot each night. The scene is set for explosive confrontations, murders, cover-ups, lies, trials, jail sentences and fatal consequences. This book is as suspenseful as any thriller, more so because these events are a part of history.

Clevenger Gold is a scintillating work of historic fiction, but as its subtitle notes, it’s also “the true story of murder and unfound treasure.” In the book’s preface and introduction, author Scott Eldon Swapp states that the basic facts on which the narrative rests are accurate. While researching this deeply fascinating tale of a family journeying from the Arizona Territory to the Washington Territory in the 1870s with a couple of hired hands, Swapp studied county, state, territorial and national archives. He shares his methodology and research finds with the reader, and most chapter titles mark the exact location and time of specific incidents on the trip. Swapp clearly strives for the utmost accuracy in recreating this wildly dramatic episode in U.S. territorial history.

Much of the plot takes places via dialogue and Swapp writes the verve and sass of cowboy lingo with relish. Swapp’s enthusiasm for the mystery of the buried treasure is infectious.

Sam’s gold is still out there, waiting to be found. Swapp encourages the reader with these words, “If you have the skills and patience to seek real treasure, go get it!”

Clevenger Gold: The True Story of Murder and Unfound Treasure by Scott Eldon Swapp won First Place in the 2016 Laramie Awards!

July 3, 2018