I bought my first book by Dana Stabenow in Denali Park, Alaska. I loved it and still have that book, now autographed. Yes, I've met her. As such, I was prepared to love this one from the git go. So, you can imagine my surprise when, after the first chapter, I was rather lost. I actually pondered putting it aside, figuring it was just me too caught up in real life events to allow myself to be sucked in. Fortunately, I kept reading and was glad I did. While I'm not quite sold on it the way I was on that first book set in Alaska, this one in the Wild West of 1890 did eventually pull me in. I've always been a sucker for a western, bring on those cowboys, but Stabenow's usual wonderful job of setting the story in the gritty, frequently violent, rough and barely civilized mining town of Montana Roja and it's quirky cast of characters was well done. Seriously, I could picture that drunk sheriff ignoring lawlessness and the likes of a killer one day showing up at a dance the next and shyly asking heroine Clare Wright to dance, not to mention delight in well-known names like Bat Masterson and Mark Twain popping up.
As a history major, the historical aspects of the story were great fun. I'd heard of the Harvey Girls although I don't recall where. Reading Clare's daily routine as she worked undercover for the Pinkerton's to solve a murder made me wonder how she could stand up at the end of the day, let alone do any sleuthing. Those women didn't have it easy, that's for sure. Stabenow includes a Cast of Characters upfront, by the way, which I found helpful. I managed to get about halfway through before I finally had to satisfy my curiosity and skip ahead to the acknowledgements and Stabenow's notes on where the idea for the story came from and what was historically based and/or maybe tweaked just a bit. Sorry, Dana. I was impatient. I also took time to do a quick read up on the history of the Harvey Girls to refresh my memory. Worth your time if you're so inclined. Stabenow provides such a strong sense of the time and place that it makes it all the more real. (And, yes, there's a movie staring Judy Garland.)
So what's the mystery, you ask? Who killed the train conductor and what was he maybe or maybe not involved in? The murder is rather quick but, whoa, the murder itself is enough to remind you that you're reading about a lawless era when violence was often violent and quick. In addition, you'll get a great look at how train cars were hooked up, moved, and transferred from one train to the next while also being provided a mind picture of the setting the train travels through. I won't ruin the plot by saying much more but it was intriguing to see Clare working hard all day and dealing with the restrictions put on women of the era.
Bottom line, despite the slow-to-me start, I wound up enjoying this probably new series. Given my assumption Stabenow is setting us up for a continuing series, I was able to overlook the fact that end maybe wasn't tied up for us all nice and pretty, not to mention that this character driven reader chaffed at not knowing more of Clare's background until near the end. Thanks #BloomsburyUSA for giving me this early peek at not just a favorite author (and fellow Alaskan) but letting me hop a virtual time travel machine to drop into an era I've always found fascinating, the still not neat and pretty Wild West. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next in the series.
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