Kathy Lynn Emerson, Fatal as a Fallen Woman

Fatal as a Fallen Woman

Kathy Lynn Emerson

Pemberley Press, Sep 2005, $24.95

ISBN: 0970272790

In 1888 New York, Independent Intelligence reporter Diana Spalding quits her job to marry Dr. Ben Northcote, only to have her editor Horatio Foxe inform her that Western Union reported that her mom Elmira Torrence killed her dad William, the Silver Baron. Though estranged from her parents, as her father disowned her six years ago, even deleting her name from the family bible, Diana leaves for Denver to try to help her mom, although the older woman sided with her spouse when William excommunicated their daughter.

Though the wire news dispatch mentioned the ex-wife as the killer, Diana, after a grueling train ride, is surprised to confirm that her parents had divorced. Even more shocking to Diana is the plight of her mother before the homicide. Apparently the intolerant William kicked Elmira out of their home four years ago, but she thrived in a profession considered scandalous by the female elite. The final stunner is that William married Miranda who was Diana's age. Unable not to help her mom, a fugitive chased by U.S. Marshals, Diana begins investigating by questioning the upper crust and the dens of iniquity that make up much of Denver.

In her second historical mystery (see DEADLIER THAN THE PEN), Diana Spaulding works a personal case in which the obstinate journalist refuses to back down from either the scorn of the elite or the disdain of the underclass. The action packed storyline provides the audience with a deep look at Denver late in the nineteenth century. Fans of Americana whodunits will want to read this strong tale, as well as obtain Kathy Lynn Emerson's Elizabethan Face Down series starring Diana's ancestor Susanna Appleton; these contain great historical mystery novels.