Review: Entertaining Romp Through 19th century California Gold Country and San Francisco
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2012
Wright has long been a favorite author of mine (see my review of her novel, SILVER STORM) but this is my first of her Western historical romances.Set in Columbia, California, and San Francisco in 1864, at a time when the gold rush had ended, it tells the story of fiercely independent and intelligent Katie MacKenzie who, while helping her father run a saloon, writes articles for the local newspaper about "the Griffin," a Robin Hood-like figure who robs the ruthless mine owners to return money to the townspeople. Jack Adams, an adventurer with a secret and a past, arrives in the small Sierra town one summer day and begins to make changes. Katie is irritated by his manner and jealous of Jack's relationship with her father, but she cannot deny her attraction to the handsome rogue.As always, Wright tells an eminently readable tale. I liked the plot elements...mysterious highwayman and handsome rogue who is living at least two lives, spunky heroine who wants a career and endearing secondary characters in a mining town in the foothills of Northern California, including Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). The dialog was snappy and the story held my interest. Initially, I wasn't too thrilled with the hero, who though supposedly a gentleman, began a physical relationship with the innocent heroine with no intention of offering her more. Not very honorable--especially in 1864! But he did make up for it. I had a few questions about the Griffin's crimes...the felony murder rule existed in English common law. Killing someone "accidentally" while committing armed robbery certainly qualified one to be tried for murder. The only way, given the facts, the Griffin wasn't guilty, was if his weapon didn't hit MacKenzie. Then there was the issue of the bullets. Bullets from different weapons, including a shotgun, a rifle or a hand weapon would have been noticeably different but they were not produced at trial. Ah well...