Very different from anything that I have ever read before. Very enjoyable. A little complicated at the end, but mostly clear what happened.

"Silver Lies" appealed to me both as a mystery novel and for its Leadville setting. It didn't disappoint on either score. Having grown up in Leadville and heard countless stories about the town's boom town days, I was easily drawn in by the author's descriptions and the snippets of true places and people that she sprinkled into this fictional story.

I was debating between a 4 and 5 rating and ultimately went with 4. It felt very much like a 4.5. The characters, historical setting and plotline were interesting and well written. There were definitely enough twists to keep me guessing. I did feel there were a couple of things that an editor should have picked up -- a few tense issues and a weird POV change. The book was in third person, but it would suddenly switch to 1st without any indication that it was changing, such as adding, "She thought" or putting the thoughts in italics. Overall, not a big deal, but it just seemed jarring to me and took me out of the story. I can't help wondering why that wouldn't have been picked ip in editing. That being said, I am looking forward to reading more of this series!

An interesting story about Leadville CO during silver mining days. A mystery is woven into lots of great historical detail. I had a hard time identifying/sympathizing with the lead character--probably just me. A friend read this book and said it was the best one she'd read in a long time.

I really enjoyed this start to a new series. Parker made the characters realistic and I felt like I was taken back in time to Leadville. Inez is a complex character and her life has some serious ups and downs. And the Reverand is not exactly who he appears to be. It's all very interesting and I can't wait to read more!

Very interesting. Great for historical fiction and mystery lovers.

The setting is great! I've never been to Leadville, Colorado (a real town), but I have been to Virginia City, Nevada so I could easily picture the town layout, the business streets, residential areas, church, opera house, and outlying mines. The best part is the author didn't try to make it Hollywood pretty. She gave us all the muck and mire one would encounter in a time without indoor plumbing or paved roads.

Inez is a good hearted woman who has some business sense. She owns and runs a saloon with her partner, Abe. When a friend turns up dead outside the back door of her business the wheels start turning to figure out who killed Joe and why. The journey is not without peril; in fact, the story is filled with action, adventure, intrigue, and even a bit of fluff (aka romance). I don't understand why she made some of the decisions she made and wish we had more details, but they may have cluttered up the main plot. Plus adding some details may have muddied the biographies of real people who show up in Inez's life. (Bat Masterson makes an appearance; he's written more handsomely than the images found online.)

This isn't quite a "cozy" mystery. This is a step or two up with regards to violence and lawlessness. While our main character is openminded in some regards, she can be quite cruel in others. Inez is no Miss Marple or Nancy Drew. Reminds me a bit of Mae West or Kitty Russell (the later I know only from my mother's musings and a rerun on TV now and then).

The entire story is quite exciting. When you think one clue is figured out a nifty little twist comes along. However, I did figure out one thing long before Inez did and kept yelling at her when her line of thinking returned to the forefront. So if you routinely read mysteries, you might have this somewhat solved early on. Don't let that deter you from enjoying the rest of the story. It's a worthwhile read.

I really liked this book. The story is well written and filled with intrigue; setting well described; and characters believable. Near the end I didn't want to put it down and am suffering slightly from sleep deprivation because of it.

I pretty much adored this book, it had so much of what I love: juicy mystery (with just enough romance); history; authentic Colorado history (squee); a nicely flawed, smart and talented heroine (who rescues herself, thank you very much); a bit of a backstory and frontstory - nice set up for a series; BAT MASTERSON!!!!!. I also liked how the author wove in some social issues of the era (voting rights for women, contraception, prostitution) - you could write a whole book about those topics, but she addressed them and moved on but it was still very effective.

I listened to the OD version from the library, but purchased the Kindle version to be able to read along when I realized it was a winner. The narration was good, not great, but there was nothing distracting about it, thankfully.

Fantastic book, I can't wait to read the next...

This first in a series of life in a silver mining town from the perspective of a lady saloon keeper combined historic perspective, romance, and mystery. I don't think I could read the series end to end, but I'll come back to read more in time.

The first book in a wonderful series. I have enjoyed getting to know the strong female protagonist, and the glimpses of boomtown life in old Colorado. Highly recommended!

Great murder mystery set in 1889 Leadville, Colorado--first of four in the series. The writing is great, the rather flawed characters are engaging and the plot is full of twists and turns. I found myself sad when it ended. The lead character Inez Stannart is Saloon owner who comes from a more refined background. And there is an intriguing romance. Good read.

not my kind of book -- would never have found this on my own -- and i LOVED it. character development was awesome, if a little forced at times.

Historical fiction is my favorite next to mysteries so a historical fiction mystery is the best kind of book. I'm looking forward to reading Ann Parkers newest book (which is why I have to go back and read the older ones first). Even though I figured out who one of the villains was in the middle of the book, I didn't know all the villains and the plot had some twists I never saw coming.