It is the Gold Rush era in Virginia City and Alice Rose Tucker is stuck living there with her father, Stan Tucker, editor for "The Enterprise Newspaper." They have just buried Alice Rose's mother and newborn sister. Things are just not good.

The town is filled with 'hurdy-gurdy-girls', immigrant Chinese who work on the railroad, crooked lawyers, barflies and other assortments of characters - Alice Rose knows them all. But when Sam Clemens comes to town things get much more interesting and fast paced.

A plot is uncovered where someone plans to take over the Comstock Lode and funnel the money to the Confederacy to finance their war effort. Alice Rose and Sam take on the solving of who is doing the plotting and how the takeover is to happen.

Kathryn Lasky has used quotes from Clemens in various parts of the story, and has painted a wild and dangerous town. The action takes off at times, the dialogue is colourful, the over all is enjoyable. ( )