The Second Glass of Absinthe: A Mystery of the Victorian West

by Michelle Black

Book Overview

In the American West of 1880, Leadville, Colorado, is the wealthiest mining district on earth and by far its richest mine is the Eye Dazzler. When Lucinda Ridenour, the notorious widow-heiress to the Dazzler, chooses young Kit Randall to be her lover, Kit thinks he has the world at his feet. But when their affair sinks into depravity, he must rediscover himself and find out if he has the character to survive in a society that has more money than morals...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765347563
• ISBN13: 9780765347565
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

A Steampunk vibe?

Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll--circa 1879. It doesn't have the fantasy/alt-history elements to make it a traditional steampunk novel, but there's a kind of twisted, proto-steampunk vibe going on.

An exciting amateur sleuth tale

In 1880 Leadville, Colorado is booming thanks to the vein of silver being taken out of the Eye Dazzler Mine. Lucinda Ridenour, the owner of the mine, is keeping her young lover in luxurious style indulging in all kinds of debauched pleasures including drugs and the strong liquor absinthe. The last night Kit Randall spends in his lover's home, he has some hallucinations that scare him because he thinks they may be based in reality.A spiteful Lucinda claims that he stole some items from her before leaving but he is able to talk the police out of arresting him. When his Uncle Brad and his fiancé come to town, they help him hide from the law when Lucinda is murdered. When Brad returns to Washington DC, Eden stays behind to find a way of clearing his name, even if that means figuring out who the real killer is.THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE is an exciting amateur sleuth tale that will appeal to fans of romances and westerns as much and those who love historical mysteries will value the tale. Michelle Black is a gifted storyteller whose stark prose and compelling characters draw the reader into the heart of the story line. The mystery is well constructed and there is a plethora of suspects who had every reason to see the widow dead including her own son. Characters from other works of Michelle Black make an appearance giving the audience a feeling of continuity.Harriet Klausner