If you're looking for entertainment, excitement, and history, you can't go wrong with one of Vicki Delany's Klondike Mysteries. Gold Fever, the second book in the series, is everything you could ask for in an historical mystery.Fiona MacGillivray, owner of the Savoy Saloon and Dance Hall, would always remember the summer of 1898 in the mining town of Dawson, Canada, as a summer of mud. She should remember it as a summer of murder. Fiona, self-designated as "the most beautiful woman in the territory," has to deal with the whims of Irene, her most popular dance-hall girl, the threats of Joey LeBlanc, a notorious madam in town, and, maybe the worst threat of all, her growing son, Angus. Then, there's the murder of a former employee, and the stories a new arrival could tell about Fiona's past. And, there's Angus.
Fiona might be secretive about her past, determined to live a good life, but nothing is more important than her son. And, Angus, at twelve, is becoming a man who wants to be a Mountie. He is also growing to be a kind, considerate young man, the type of boy who would take a prostitute, an Indian named Mary, under his protection, and insist his mother find her a place to live, and a job. And, when Mary is accused of murder, Angus is determined to find the actual killer. And, a determined mother will do anything to protect her son.
In Gold Fever, Delany reveals a little more of Fiona MacGillivray's past. It's an exciting historical adventure, giving readers a view of the not-so-glamorous life in the Klondike during the Gold Rush. 1898 was a time of saloons, dance halls, gambling, and prostitution. But, a thriving town needed laundries, dress shops, restaurants, and police protection in the form of the Mounties. Through Angus' eyes, we see a thriving community, while noticing the poverty and the injustice. Through Fiona's eyes, we see opportunity despite hardship. There's a wealth of details based on research. Those details, along with the characters, bring Vicki Delany's Gold Fever to life.
Vicki Delany's website is www.vickidelany.com
Gold Fever by Vicki Delany. RendezVous Crime, ©2010. ISBN 9781926607023 (paperback), 292p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me my book, in hopes I would review it.
