L. A. Chandlar

The Silver Gun by L.A. Chandlar is the first book in An Art Deco Mystery series. Lane Sanders is aide to the 99th New York City Mayor Fiorello “Fio” LaGuardia. It has been busy with Fio’s efforts to stop the various gang enterprises in the city (slot machines for example) and his many reform ideas. One night at the scene of a fire, Lane is grabbed and threatened. One of the gangs is trying to scare off Fio through Lane. This is just the beginning of their efforts to scare Lane and get Fio out of office. Lane and her friends work to find out which gang leader is behind the attacks and stop them before the violence escalates. Lane has noticed a handsome man that seems to be following her. Is he out to help her or a part of the conspiracy?

The Silver Gun has a wonderful, strong female main character in Lane Sanders (well thought out and developed). Lane is spunky and has moxie. L.A. Chandlar did her research for An Art Deco Mystery series. She captured the era, the city and did a wonderful job at portraying the dynamic Fiorello LaGuardia. My rating for The Silver Gun is 3 out of 5 stars. I did think that the pace of the novel was slow. The author put so many details, events, and characters into the story that it made the story seem lengthy (and at times it read like a book on the history of the era). I wish the author had a different writing style. It would have made a world of difference (if she wrote like Leslie Meier, Laura Childs, Ellery Adams or Kate Carlisle for example). The mystery seemed complicated, but it is easily solved early in the story. I did find it unusual that Lane seemed to meet the same people no matter where she was in the city. Fio seemed to arrive at any incident in the city within minutes of it being reported (sometimes faster). I was curious how Fio showed up before Lane has been rescued from the train tracks. Her family also arrived equally as quick. I thought adding the famous painter (name would be a spoiler) to the story was a bit of a stretch (just made me roll my eyes in disbelief).… (plus d'informations)

THE SILVER GUN by L.A. Chandler is the first in what is being called the "Art Deco Mystery Series." Set in 1930's New York, this book holds the promise of adventures that happen during the administration of Mayor Fiorella Laguardia. Like all first in a series stories, there is a heavy burden that must be worked through.
While we know New York and some of it's history, the depression years in that town may not be widely know. The new Mayor sets out to destroy Tammany Hall, wrench away much of organized crime's grip on the people, and revitalize the city. There's a lot on his plate and he garners many enemies along the way.
But this isn't his story, rather this is Lane Sanders tale. She has been the fast=talking, hard-charging mayor's personal assistant for six months. And while she manages to cope with the Mayor and the pressure of her job, there is still a major childhood trauma that swirls around her.
And there is a mystery man who pops into her life with promises of romance. If she can trust him.
Fast paced with reflections of the 1930s all around, Ms. Chandler has managed to bring the reader into this era very effectively. An introductory book to a series has to clearly outline a broad cast of characters, a place and a time, and needs a host of minor details to evoke the setting and make the characters come to life. Generally this has been accomplished, but in this Advanced Reader's Edition there are a few things that drew me away from the story and the setting. The most egregious is the use of the title Ms. when talking to a woman. Granted, the term actually predates this time frame, but I think for most people it is inextricably linked to the woman's movement of the 60s and 70s and of the magazine with the same name. Using the word here took me right out of the story and I found it difficult to fully immerse myself afterwards.
I know this is picking nits, but I feel there should be nothing in the path of the story to take you away from it. Heaven knows there are already too may outside distractions as it is.
Overall I felt THE SILVER GUN, Lane Sanders and her supporting cast, will be a fine start for what promises to be a unique mystery series. I expect great stories to come.… (plus d'informations)