Alice Duncan

The year is approximately 1920. Daisy Gumm, a firecracker of a young woman aged 20 or thereabouts, is married to Billy Majesty, who is recently back from the Great War, having been gassed and crippled, so he's confined to a wheelchair. They live with her parents, and Daisy works as a medium giving séances to rich folk. There is no pretense to the reader that she might actually believe any of what she does, and she's quite direct about how fraudulent the whole business is with her Ouija show more board and Tarot cards, and how gullible her wealthy clients are. (In that respect, the narrative seems to be that of an older Daisy, backward looking to her youth, from some decades down the line.)

The writing is very theatrical and fun throughout the book. I could see this possibly being turned into a rather drôle and engaging stage play. Daisy's first-person narration is so interesting and chatty, as well as pretty broad-minded for the time, that I barely noticed the plot takes nearly half the book to begin rolling—but it's full steam ahead in a breathless romp once things get cranked up. Daisy may be one of the most opinionated (in an amusing way) and magnificently chatty narrators I've ever run across. Heavens, how she's chatty. I really enjoyed the period setting: the Ford Model-T she has to crank to get started, the party-line telephone, discussion of new-fangled radio signal receiving sets, the observations about Pasadena... On and on.

This is the first book of a series and the edition I read is actually bundled with two further Daisy Gumm mysteries that I'll probably read in due course. The editing is quite fine and I think I spotted only a single typo. But curiously, even though the book's orthography makes use of em-dashes and accented letters—e.g., in the word “séance”, it doesn't use paired double quotes or proper apostrophes. Well, that just seemed odd, though no real harm done. show less

Delightfully recreating Los Angeles in the 20s, Alice Duncan’s Bruised Spirits takes protagonist Daisy Gumm Majesty on another wild adventure as she helps to shelter a battered wife, tries to solve a murder, and struggles to placate a rich woman whose daughter has run off with a most unsuitable friend. Daisy’s awe at the wonders of rich people’s homes, together with her delight in her own living situation with family and dog, and her reluctance to take off the wedding ring of her show more deceased husband all make her a thoroughly believable and relatable character. But she’s also a phony spiritualist endowed with a large dose of common sense, and an ally of friends from previous stories who work with the Salvation Army. She’s a woman of lowkey, often conflicted beliefs; she’d like to trust that all things will work out in the end; and she’d like to trust the law—especially the good man whose ring she hides under her shirt. But she also trusts her own instincts, sometimes just a little too much, with complex consequences.

Great dialog, wonderful narration, fascinating details and good humor make this a smooth, fun read. Add a plot that smoothly combines serious issues with intriguing mystery, and Daisy Gumm Majesty rides again. A really fun book!

Disclosure: I won a copy! I’m so lucky! show less

Rose Ellen Gilhooley joined the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at 16 as a bareback rider. Now 21 and world traveled, she is a star of the show playing at the Chicago World's Fair. H. L. May is a reporter for the Chicago Globe assigned to write articles about the Fair. He decides to feature Rose's story and her perspective on the Fair. Rose is intrepid on horseback, a sharpshooter and a tracker having grown up in Kansas and the main meat provider for her family. She is almost barely literate show more and ashamed of her lack of schooling. This is the crux of the contention between the characters. Interesting plot but too much redundant inner turmoil. show less

“There was obviously more to the honest life than merely staying out of prison,” muses Sam in the opening chapters of Emma Craig’s Sierra Ransom. But he’s determined to change the direction of his life, and working for Zee seems like a good first step. Meanwhile, Zenobia hides hurts of her own behind the sharp responses of her brusque exterior. Set in the time of the California Gold Rush, Emma Craig’s Sierra Ransom recreates a convincing mining town of tents, dreams and mud, show more peopling it with great characters, and adding compelling drama. The issues of the day—mistreatment of women, mistreatment of strangers, hard lives, hard living, and refusal to accept change or difference—are as relevant now as they were then. But humorous dialog and warm relationships keep this story light and make it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The scenery’s beautiful. Gold is scarce. Weather is fierce. And justice is harsh. But this is a small frontier mudhole, seeking to become a town, accepting the lost for what they can give, and giving strength to the weak with generous affection. A story well-rooted in history, with characters full of humor and dry wit (and laugh-out-loud dialog as the swearing protagonist strives to become a good man). Women’s issues are nicely addressed. Faith is a lowkey background to lives often wounded by religion’s harsh strictures and condemnation. And thought-provoking insights make this more than just a fun romantic read.

A tale of redemption and love, a great recreation of a great time in history, and a pleasing romance, Sierra Ransom succeeds in being enjoyable, informative, and even uplifting as well, and is highly recommended.

Disclosure: I won a copy. Lucky me! show less