The Secret in the Wall by Ann Parker

 

First Lines: San Francisco, California. Thursday evening, March 9, 1882. Long vacant, the house smelled of dust and decay.

Inez Stannert has always chosen the unconventional path. When fleeing her wealthy East Coast upbringing, she found herself in Leadville, Colorado, as a saloon owner and cardsharp. Now she's in San Francisco, the owner of a music store who helps other women with small business loans and tries to keep her strong-willed ward, Antonia, out of trouble. 

 

When a skeleton tumbles out of a wall in her latest business investment-- complete with a bag of Civil War-era gold coins-- Inez has to use her street smarts and determination to learn the man's identity and why he was murdered-- secrets that someone has already been willing to kill for in order to hide.

 

Little does she know that Antonia is doing a little investigating of her own...

 

~

 

I've followed Inez Stannert's path from the very first Silver Rush book, Silver Lies. It's a life that has been anything but ordinary and has had more than its share of surprises along the way. It's always a pleasure to see a favored series get stronger with each book, and I'm happy to say that The Secret in the Wall is the best Silver Rush mystery yet.  I mean, who doesn't like a mystery that has a skeleton behind the wall, a bag of gold coins, secret passages, secret staircases, and secret rooms? And I haven't even mentioned Alcatraz yet!

 

Parker always does an excellent job of weaving historical facts into her mysteries, and this time she has the American Civil War and California's part in it to work with. It may be the 1880s, but The Secret in the Wall proves that the Civil War and all its conflict is bubbling away, barely beneath the surface.

 

What put the smile on my face and raised the enjoyment factor of reading this book tenfold was Inez's ward, teenage Antonia. The daughter of a murdered prostitute, Antonia was left to her own devices until taken in by Inez. Antonia chafes under any sort of authority, and the only reason why she puts up supervision from Inez is because she does respect the older woman. Inez is finding it difficult to keep Antonia on a solid path because she doesn't want to break the girl's amazing spirit. Inez had enough of that herself growing up in a wealthy family on the East Coast. Antonia seems to go out of her way to do the opposite of what she's told, and this only proves that Inez is trying to raise a fiercely independent younger copy of herself.   

 

In The Secret in the Wall, Antonia makes a new friend, and since the new friend lives right next door to where the body in the wall was found, Antonia wants to have a lot of sleepovers at her new friend's house so they can sneak over to explore next-door's secret rooms and passageways. The young girls' investigations mirror Inez's with possibly grave consequences. It's amazing to me how Parker has created a character who exasperates me to no end yet still makes me laugh. Suffice it to say, when Antonia wasn't making me mentally rip my hair out, I was having the time of my life creeping around a derelict house with her in the wee hours of the morning.

 

And if you're in the mood for some fun in 1880s San Francisco, I strongly recommend joining Inez and Antonia in The Secret in the Wall.  

The Secret in the Wall by Ann Parker

eISBN: 9781464214950

Poisoned Pen Press © 2022

eBook, 387 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #8 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Mortal Music by Ann Parker

First Line: There had been occasions in the past when Inez Stannert had looked a man-- and even, once, a woman-- straight in the eye and felt justified in pulling the trigger.

The last thing Inez Stannert wants to do is be diva Theia Carrington Drake's accompanist for her last appearances on the stage during San Francisco's holiday season, but her music store is floundering and she needs the money. Besides, not only will she be earning badly needed extra cash, but the exposure should also bring new (and wealthy) customers to the store.

Unfortunately, the whole experience is a struggle. The singer is almost impossibly demanding, and unknown threats seem to be stalking her. It's not long before Inez realizes that there is a murderer stalking the city's opera halls, and it's only a matter of time before Theia is his next victim. Together, she and private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn will have to catch a killer before Theia's voice is silenced permanently.

Ann Parker's historical Silver Rush mysteries have been a joy to read from the very first book, Silver Lies. Inez Stannert is a strong, intelligent, unconventional woman readers first met as an owner of a popular saloon in mining boomtown Leadville, Colorado. She's divorced her unfaithful conman husband and been forced to give her infant son to a family member to raise. Looking for a fresh start, she's moved to San Francisco with her young ward Antonia and opened a music store.

Readers always learn things when they pick up a Silver Rush mystery. In this year of 1881, Parker seamlessly weaves in facts about local San Francisco landmarks, music, the Comstock Lode, and the plights of African-Americans as well as dressmakers and other businesswomen.

As Mortal Music opens, Inez's young (and extremely headstrong) ward Antonia is bundled off to spend the holidays with the co-owner of the music store. I wondered about that because the give-and-take between these two strong-minded and independent souls often leads to laughter and plenty of headshaking on my part. However, it didn't take me long to realize why Antonia was shuffled off stage left. There's no way in the world Inez could deal with Antonia AND Theia Carrington Drake at the same time. She would've been driven berserk.

The private investigator de Bruijn adds quite a bit to the story. His ability to investigate things Inez isn't able to is important, but even more important is the dynamic between the two. There's a growing attraction there even though de Bruijn is having a difficult time dealing with Inez's personality. She's just not the usual sort of woman he runs across. She's more liable to pull out her revolver and shoot someone assaulting her instead of screaming for help.

Mortal Music is slow-paced and probably could have used a bit more editing to tighten up the story, and I found whodunit to be rather easy to deduce, but I didn't much care. There's just something about Inez Stannert and the world that Ann Parker creates that gives me so much pleasure that I'm willing to overlook a small bump or two along my reading road. If you enjoy historical mysteries and haven't read a Silver Rush book, I highly recommend the series and suggest that you begin with the first book, Silver Lies. If you're already a fan, be prepared to sink into this story with a happy sigh of anticipation.

Mortal Music by Ann Parker

eISBN: 9781492699507

Poisoned Pen Press © 2020

eBook, 448 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Net Galley

 

A Dying Note by Ann Parker

First Line: Not my hands!

It's 1881, and Inez Stannert and her ward, young Antonia Gizzi, are now settled in San Francisco. Inez has turned her business acumen toward investing in legitimate businesses, one of them being a music store owned by a celebrated local violinist. She might be the co-owner of a saloon in Leadville, Colorado, but she's turned her back on that life-- not only to raise Antonia properly but for herself as well.

All her careful plans may come tumbling down when she and Antonia are dragged into the mystery of a young musician's death. The musician turns out to have ties in Leadville, ties that threaten to expose Inez's former life. They aren't the only ones looking for answers: Wolter Roeland de Bruijn, the "finder of the lost," has been tasked with finding the young man's killers and dispensing justice. Lives and reputations are on the line, and Inez is running out of time.

It's always a pleasure to watch a series grow from strength to strength, and this is exactly what I've seen happen with Ann Parker's Silver Rush series. There's always some fascinating historical snippets to learn, a fantastic setting, an engrossing mystery to solve, and a strong, intelligent main character to cheer on. Inez Stannert has not had an easy life, and she's needed every bit of her intelligence and determination to survive and to succeed.

What makes A Dying Note even more interesting is the addition of young Antonia Gizzi to the cast of characters. Antonia's short life has been even more difficult--she and her mother were abandoned by her father, and as her mother lay dying, Antonia had to learn how to live on the streets of Leadville. This little girl is sharp as a tack and, as my grandfather would say, as independent as a hog on ice. I loved Antonia's ability to answer questions truthfully without actually telling the honest truth. That takes a lot of skill. She's used to making her own decisions, and she doesn't trust anyone but Inez. Inez is probably the only person strong enough to deal with Antonia, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what happens next.

The pace of A Dying Note is excellent, and the scenes in which various characters are being followed through the streets of San Francisco are downright nerve-wracking. Even though the whodunit is relatively easy to deduce, learning all the hows and whys and getting the person out into the open is fun. This series is for all fans of historical mysteries, and if you haven't given it a try yet, I suggest you start at the beginning with Silver Lies. You've got some good reading ahead of you!

A Dying Note by Ann Parker

eISBN: 9781464209826

Poisoned Pen Press © 2018

eBook, 319 pages

Historical Mystery, #6 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley 

What Gold Buys by Ann Parker

First Line: It was hard to find somewhere close by the crowded silver mining boomtown to practice killing a man, but Antonia was nothing if not determined.

It's autumn 1880 high up in the Rocky Mountains, and saloon owner Inez Stannert has returned to Leadville, Colorado.  In a boomtown like this, people are after all the riches they can get, whether it be valuable ore dug from the ground or more spiritual rewards. Drina Gizzi has brought her young daughter Antonia to Leadville at the instruction of her lover and benefactor, Mr. Brown, but Mr. Brown has vanished, and Drina tells fortunes in an attempt to put food on the table in their tiny shack in the worst part of town. 

When she is found murdered, the only people who seem to care are the three people who found her body: Inez Stannert, the Reverend Sands, and little Antonia, but what astonishes everyone is the disappearance of Drina's body. Inez bands together with young Antonia to find the killer, and they uncover a rat's nest of motives and underhanded dealings. Moreover, Inez has her wayward husband Mark to contend with. Mark is determined that Inez stop her plans for divorce, and he'll stoop as low as he can to see that come to pass. Inez has a lot on her plate. Can she identify a killer, make the right decision for her future, and keep both Antonia and herself alive? Only time will tell.

I've enjoyed Ann Parker's Silver Rush mysteries since the very first one,  Silver Lies. Parker brings a mining boomtown to boisterous life-- to the point where you can picture yourself amazed at the noise while dodging horse-drawn freight wagons and trying not to lose one of your boots in the mud. 

Parker has created a main character with a very unconventional lifestyle. Inez Stannert owns a saloon. She's trying to get a divorce from her charming con man husband who abandoned her for almost two years. She's also having an affair with another man. This is complication enough, but Inez also manages to solve murders at the same time. Needless to say, she is a strong woman, and it's interesting to see how other characters view her throughout What Gold Buys. 

But Inez is not the only person trying to forge a decent life for herself. For me, the character of young Antonia was the best in the book. She doesn't believe in the mumbo jumbo that her mother spouts in order to earn money. She doesn't believe Mr. Brown ever intended to join them in Leadville, but just in case he does show himself, Antonia has plans for him. This little girl has gotten the short end of the stick her whole life, but she's got enough gumption to share with a dozen other children. I loved her.

The guilty parties are relatively easy to spot in What Gold Buys, but that's really not the focus of the mystery. It's the How, and the Who Did What that's not so easy to deduce. 

Ann Parker's Silver Rush series is perfect for you if you love old mining towns, historical mysteries, and a strong female main character. It is possible to read What Gold Buys without reading the rest of the books in the series, but don't be surprised if you find yourself tracking down the others.
    

What Gold Buys by Ann Parker

ISBN: 9781464206252

Poisoned Pen Press © 2016

Paperback, 408 pages

Historical Mystery, #5 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author