Publishers Weekly
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It’s late December 1881 in Parker’s skillfully crafted seventh Silver Rush mystery (after 2018’s A Dying Note) when renowned opera singer Theia Carrington Drake summarily fires her accompanist and asks Inez Stannert, the co-owner of San Francisco’s D & S House of Music and Curiosities, to replace him for the few remaining year-end performances. Inez agrees, but soon after she begins playing piano for Theia, she witnesses the discovery of the crushed body of Theia’s pet songbird tucked into the slashed remains of the diva’s shimmering performance gown. Then Theia’s faithful maid disappears, and Julia Green, Theia’s understudy and protégée, is found dead. Unlike the police, Inez doesn’t believe for an instant that the young woman committed suicide. As New Year’s Eve approaches, Inez races to uncover the truth about the crimes and the secrets that hold Theia’s fragile world together. Richly nuanced period details and vivid characters enhance a plot that takes some surprising turns. The ambiguous ending will leave readers wondering what the future holds for astute, resourceful Inez. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Jan.)

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From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

In the latest Silver Rush mystery (following A Dying Note, 2018), the year is 1881. Inez Stannert, San Francisco music-store owner and amateur sleuth, is having financial troubles. The store is faltering, and Inez's dream of helping other women in their business ventures seems doomed to failure. Then a famous singer, Theia Carrington Drake, offers Inez, a skilled pianist, the opportunity to replace Drake's regular accompanist, and Inez, seeing a way out of her troubles, takes the job. Soon, strange things start to happen; and when events escalate to murder, Inez realizes her benefactor is the target of a killer. Parker again combines an impeccably detailed historical setting (San Francisco after the Gold Rush) with sharply drawn characters and a suspenseful story to create a wholly satisfying mystery. Pair this with other Gold Rush-era mysteries, including William Martin's Bound for Gold (2018) and Vicki Delany's Gold Web (2014).--David Pitt Copyright 2020 Booklist