Leadville

Steve Darcy Series, Book 2

By: James D. Best

Narrated by: Rusty Nelson

When New York City shopkeeper Steve Dancy moved west to experience the frontier, he wound up embroiled in a deadly feud...a feud he was forced to settle with guns. Now all he wants to do is follow up on a few business interests, write about his adventures, and continue his exploration of the West.

But in the autumn of 1879, Joseph McAllen asks Dancy for help. Ute renegades have abducted a young girl near Mesa Verde, Colorado, and the Pinkerton captain wants Dancy to join the rescue party.

Surprisingly, the trail doesn't lead into the San Juan Mountains, but to Leadville - a rich mining town teeming with the worst elements of a raw frontier. Before the small team can save the girl, shysters and killers conspire to enrich themselves from the incident. Bitter feuds, vendettas, and greed turn the rescue into a bloody conflict that spans the state.

Dancy has proven that he can handle himself in dangerous situations. But can this shopkeeper survive the perils of an untamed mountain wilderness?

©2009 James D. Best (P)2009 Books In Motion

West meets East

Steve Dancy a New York dandy and shopkeeper meets the wild west and surprises it. Enjoyable and surprising from beginning to end. Many touches of the way it was along with great dialog and a story to boot.

Great flowing story

I love this series and own all of the audiobooks as well as a couple other James best novels. He is a very capable author and the story moves along at a great pace. This particular book has some unnecessary vulgar language that I don't remember hearing in some of the other books.

He did it again, Another fascinating story.

After listening to The Shopkeeper I was pleased to see the author write another wonderful tale of the old west in Leadville. Again the research and attention to detail is remarkable and the story just as intriguing. This is well narrated by a talented and entertaining actor.

Another "Best" Western

If you could sum up Leadville in three words, what would they be?

Challenge of Sharp Shooting

What was one of the most memorable moments of Leadville?

I enjoyed the grizzly.

What does Rusty Nelson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Nelson sounds the way you'd expect a slow-talking cowboy might talk as he is telling a story around a campfire.