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April 23, 2007
“Murder at the Portland Variety” by M. J. Zellnik
“Murder at the Portland Variety” by M. J. Zellnik takes place in Portland, Oregon in 1894. Libby Seale is a seamstress working at a local vaudeville theater, the Portland Variety, where mysterious deaths of two young dancers have occurred. The police declare the deaths accidents that happened, probably while the dancing girls (considered women of ill-repute) were being hauled to the docks in failed abductions by white slavers. Angry at this lack of concern for justice, Libby decides to investigate the murders herself. She enlists the aid of Peter Eberle, a local newspaper reporter in her efforts and together they explore the seedy side of a fast-growing town. Secrets from her past come back to haunt Libby as her feelings for Peter grow and as she faces the consequences of running away from her family in New York. This is the first in a fairly new series that combines a plucky heroine with life in a young western city.
ISBN: 0-7387-0786-4
Pam, reserves
Posted by jnardine at April 23, 2007 09:38 AM