Canada, 1898. The Gold Rush is on in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon. Fortunes are made as quickly as they’re lost, and Dawson City has become a lawless settlement.
In its midst, three women are trying to find their place on the edge of civilisation. Journalist Kate, along with her dog Yukon, has travelled hundreds of miles after receiving a letter from her sister warning that her husband means to kill her. Martha’s hotel and livelihood are under threat from the local strongman, who is set on buying up the town. And down by the river, where gold shimmers from between the rocks, Ellen feels her future slip away as her husband fails to find the fortune they risked so much to seek.
When a woman is found murdered, Kate, Martha and Ellen find their lives, fates and fortunes intertwined. But to unmask her killer, they must navigate a desperate land run by dangerous men who will do anything for a glimpse of gold…
Well, regular readers around these parts, or anyone who has innocently asked ‘read any good books recently?’ will know how much I adore Beth’s books. And luckily for you, dear reader, The Rush is both out now in paperback, and utterly brilliant (as per usual).
Three women’s lives in the gold rush collide. You emerge blinking into the sunlight almost feeling the grit under your fingernails from the trail, sunburnt from the environment, looking over your shoulder to see if that man has an itchy trigger finger, and is that a glimmer of gold over there?
It’s so refreshing to read a book with so many strong female leads. Kate, the journalist, travelling the Yukon trail to find her sister who has written to say her husband is going to kill her. Martha, hotel owner and madam, whose girls look after the men, but is under threat from the local hard man. And Ellen, whose husband is convinced that gold is just around the bend of the river.
Great characters, and a plot that finds these three incredible women’s lives coming together. It’s a historical murder mystery, it’s a book about the lives of the women in the Yukon, it’s about the gold rush. What more could you want?
Oh, and there’s a dog called Yukon. We love dogs.
Stunning. If you’ve not read any of Beth’s books yet, you’ve been missing out (and ignoring me).
Start here! Go buy a copy!
I loved it so much I bought myself the beautiful shiny hardback, but the new paperback is possibly even more gorgeous…
The Rush by Beth Lewis is published by Viper (many thanks for the early ebook copy for review, sorry it took so long…) and is out now in paperback. Which you’d already know if you’ve read this far.
Opinions remain, as ever, my own. Now, go buy the book…
