Tap cover to enlarge

Silver Lies

Published
Sep 2003
Main Genre
Historical Mystery Hist. Mystery
Rating
Pages
656

About This Book

They all came to Leadville with the same purpose: Get in. Get rich. Get out.

As 1879 draws to a close, this Rocky Mountain boomtown has infected the world with silver fever. It's not much different than the dot.com mania or the corporate scams that heat up over a century later.

Unfortunately for Joe Rose, a precious-metals assayer, death stakes its own claim. Joe's body is found trampled into the muck behind Inez Stannert's saloon. Inez already had much more to deal with than pouring shots of Taos Lightning and cleaning up a corpse. A lady educated on the East Coast, she has a past that doesn't bear close scrutiny, including her elopement with a gambling man who has recently disappeared.

Most townsfolk, including Inez's business partner, Abe Jackson, dismiss Joe's death as an accident. Death, after all, is no stranger in Leadville. But Inez wonders: Why was this loving husband and father carrying a brass token good for "one free screw" at the parlor house of Denver madam Mattie Silks?

When Joe's widow Emma asks Inez to settle Joe's affairs, almost against her will, Inez uncovers skewed assays, bogus greenbacks, and blackmail. Lies and secrets run deep in Colorado, secretsmore likely to lead to a hanging than to today's congressional hearings or country-club prisons for the crooked and the greedy. Then again, maybe Joe's murder was purely personal....

Silver Rush Mysteries:

Silver Lies (Book 1)

Iron Ties (Book 2)

Leaden Skies (Book 3)

Mercury's Rise (Book 4)

What Gold Buys (Book 5)

A Dying Note (Book 6)

Mortal Music (Book 7)

Praise for the Silver Rush Mysteries:

"Plenty of convincing action bodes well for a long and successful series."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review for Iron Ties

"Meticulously researched and full of rich period details…her characters will stay will you long after you've finished the last page. Highly recommended."—TASHA ALEXANDER, New York Times bestselling author for Mortal Music

"One of the most authentic and evocative historical series around. Long live Inez!"—RHYS BOWEN, New York Times bestselling author for What Gold Buys

Winner of the WILLA Literary Award for Historical Fiction

Colorado Gold Award for Best Mystery

Series Placement

Genres & Themes

Genres

Characters & Occupations

Buy This Book

Formats & Editions

Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

Paperback

Paperback edition cover
Trade Paperback
Apr 2006 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN 1590582780
Buy

Hardcover

Hardcover edition cover
Hardcover
First Edition Sep 2003 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN 1590580729
Buy

eBook

eBook edition cover
eBook
Nov 2009 ReadHowYouWant ISBN 145871165X
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
May 2011 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN B0015A67BK
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
Jun 2011 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN 1615951482
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
Nov 2011 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN B07VQMMJYG
Buy

Audio

Audio edition cover
Audio CD
Oct 2012 Blackstone Audiobooks ISBN 145516769X
Buy
Audio edition cover
MP3 CD
Oct 2012 Blackstone Audiobooks ISBN 1455167711
Buy
Audio edition cover
Audio CD
Oct 2012 Blackstone Audiobooks ISBN 1455167703
Buy
Audio edition cover
Audible
Nov 2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc. ISBN B00A31112C
Buy

Large Print

Large Print edition cover
Trade Paperback
Oct 2003 Poisoned Pen Press ISBN 1590580842
Buy
Large Print edition cover
Trade Paperback
Dec 2009 ReadHowYouWant ISBN 1458742997
Buy