Ann Parker Reviews

Ann Parker earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, before falling to a profession as a science/corporate writer. During the daytime hours, then she scribbles about "bleeding-edge" scientific R&D and business business solutions for authorized companies. At nighttime, she slips into the past.

Her award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series is set in the 1880s silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, and includes Silver Queen Saloon owner Inez Stannert—a woman with a mysterious past, a complex gift, along with an uncertain future. The very first in the series, Silver Lies, won the Willa Literary Award for Historical Fiction and the Colorado Gold Award and was a finalist for its Bruce Alexander Ancient Mystery Award as well as for the Western Writers Association Spur Award for Best Novel of the West. It was chosen that the best puzzle of the year by Publishers Weekly and The Chicago Tribune.

Iron Ties, the sequel to Silver Lies, won the Colorado Book Award (CBA) for Popular Fiction. In its starred review, Publishers Weekly says, "Parker's exceptional second Silver Rush puzzle finds her heroine, Inez Stannert, corset-deep at the intrigues of Leadville, Colo. ... Plenty of persuasive action bodes well for a long and successful series."

Leaden Skies, the third Silver Rush puzzle, was a CBA finalist. Booklist calls it "a lively historical narrative with a strong female protagonist. The complex plot, lively characters, and vividly realized historical landscape will appeal to people interested in the Old West and to historical-mystery fans"

Mercury's Rise, fourth in the series, is winner of the Bruce Alexander Memorial Ancient Mystery Award, and finalist for: the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery, the Colorado Book Award (Genre Fiction), the Macavity / Sue Feder Memorial Ancient Mystery Aw

Ann Parker Quality Chart