Oliver & Mia

Marshal Oliver Blackstone Series, Book 1

By: Riano D. McFarland

Narrated by: Tom Lennon

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Most of the successful private prospectors who’d struck it rich during the California and Nevada gold rushes during the mid- to late-1800s, had journeyed westward with a specific plan from which they never deviated. Upon achieving their pre-defined goals, they packed up and returned to their original homes in distant regions of the United States. There were also plenty of others, who’d been unable to pull the plug after striking it rich, believing their lucky streak to be a never-ending one.

Time and again, history had repeated itself by sending individual fortunes spiraling into the clouds before lady luck abandoned them and reality brought them crashing back to earth, broken beyond repair. Many such prospectors departed the region with their tails tucked between their legs, wishing they’d left while their bank accounts were still filled to overflowing.

Others remained and turned to more dubious means of acquiring riches, namely, stealing it from those who’d earned it by the sweat of their brows. For the cost of a single 45-caliber bullet, fortunes could be gained and lost in the blink of an eye, and from the moment a prospector discovered that first enticing nugget, the clock began to tick.

Oliver had both a plan, and a compelling reason to stick to it, and after five years and an accumulated five-hundred-thousand dollars' worth of silver and gold in his treasure chest, the time had come for him to cash out and return to Boston. However, fate had other plans for him.

When faced with the choice of leaving Virginia City, Nevada on his own terms, or answering the plea of a recently orphaned child, Oliver’s plans are set aside, and for a young girl in desperate need of a guardian angel, Oliver would become one.

©2022 Riano D. McFarland (P)2023 Riano D. McFarland

Two Stories and Both Are Amazing

After listening to this book until the final chapter, I was truly amazed and believe it to be one of the greatest westerns I have ever read or listened to. However, after the epilogue and the message from the author, a second story is revealed that vaults the first one into an entirely new dimension. How McFarland managed to keep the big reveal in the epilogue from spilling into the first 24 chapters while making the book an unequivocal masterpiece even without it was truly the sign of a master storyteller. You don't even know that there is a second story until you read the epilogue, and then your head and heart virtually explode! Tom Lennon does a great job with the authentic style of the narration, giving the story even more depth, if that's even possible. It was a great read from start to finish, with the epilogue and the message from the author being essential to understanding the rest of the story.

Amazing!!

This was a captivating story that I was quickly drawn in to. How can you not root for Mia amd Oliver!!?? Oliver was a selfless man with great integrity and tenacity. I was invested in the characters and their outcomes. It offers such a heartwarming ending. I look forward to more. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest opinion. The narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life.

Very Well Written Story

I found this story very good and captivating in its entirety. Mia is such a polite, well mannered child after sustaining such a horrible experience of witnessing her parents kill in front of her. I like the type of honest Personage of Oliver Blackstone and his outlook on life.
Narrator does a very good job with the various characters voices and the entire storyline.
Highly recommend this book