Praise for The Silk Train Murder
Fiction based on fact. In the heyday of the Klondike Gold Rush there was a thriving business transporting silk from the orient to Vancouver by ship, and thence by specially-designed trains to New York. More valuable than gold, the silk trains quickly became magnets for thieves and murderers as they crossed the continent...
A nicely-paced tale of two adventurers poised on the cusp of a new era, when the rough-and-tumble of Victorian life on the frontier was giving way to the modern age, The Silk Train Murder is a captivating and original tale about a little-known part of Canadian history.
Jim Napier, The Sherbrooke Record
The Silk Train Murder establishes its scene and details well, with a good ticking-clock pace and hero haunted by his guilt over a friend's death as well as his loyalty to Sam and his sense of justice. He grows in character as he unfolds the mystery. Similarly, Emily the "dreadfully bored" heiress grows her own detective team, complete with Bess and George-like pal assistants who haunt tea rooms as Granville haunts opium dens.
Eileen Charbonneau, The Historical Novels Review
This newcomer to Canada's crime scene has created a great detective in the down-on-his-luck gentleman John Lansdowne Granville and an even better setting in the rough and tumble of 1890s Vancouver… the characters are lively and true, and setting is as rich with promise as the premise.
Joanne Sasvari, The Calgary Herald
With unlikely partners, a young crook and the emancipated daughter of a strict Victorian father, Granville unveils the seedy side of 1899 Vancouver, its burlesque halls, brothels, opium dens and gambling houses.
The dialogue and pacing are brisk with historical facts skilfully employed. The Silk Train Murder has the ingredients for a rich series. The setting holds secrets galore and Rowse's debut encourages one to want more of these secrets told. History and mystery make for a satisfying conspiracy.
Don Graves, Hamilton Spectator
"Rowse, who lives in Vancouver, plans this as the start of a series, and it looks good... This book is a lot of fun, and Rowse is a writer to watch."
Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail
"There is no greater joy in a reviewer’s life than to discover a new author...
The Silk Train Murder would not work so well if not for the presence of Emily Turner, a believable young character chafing against the rules and mores of late-Victorian society and her train-owning father, craving intellectual stimulation, and willing to break with tradition if it will save the lives of those she cares about most. The chemistry between Turner and Grenville is potent and charming, focused more on investigation than romance, but with enough hints of a lasting partnership for future installments. It’s just another of the many unexpected pleasures that make Rowse one of Canada’s newest mystery writers to watch."
Sarah Weinman, Quill & Quire (starred review)
Editor's Choice Recommended read in: The Vancouver Sun, The Vancouver Province, The National Post, The Victoria Times-Colonist
"Talk about a big, bubbling stewpot of a book! . . . Rowse, a first-time novelist, has delivered a wild ride through a colorful, relatively unknown period in North American history, and she's populated it with a host of unforgettable characters. Her protagonist, the Honorable Granville, makes an appealing leading man, and his lady love, the liberated Emily Turner, provides the perfect romantic coda to this rip-roaring adventure."
Betty Webb, Mystery Scene Review
"...a well-researched and lively story."
Adam Moog, The Seattle Times
"This is an impressive debut with lots of colorful historical detail and a budding romance between Granville and Turner. Fans of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series will find in Turner another rambunctious heroine far ahead of her straitlaced times."
Barbara Bibel, Booklist (starred review)
"Sharon Rowse strikes gold with a cavalcade of colorful characters. Climb aboard. The Silk Train Murder will take you on quite a ride!"
Chris Grabenstein, Anthony award-winning author of "Tilt A Whirl"
"... a solid series start that might appeal to patrons who enjoy historicals and mysteries set in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and western Canada."
Library Journal
Murder, thievery and general lawlessness during the Klondike gold rush … Rowse’s first novel, kicking off a proposed series, offers many promising ingredients.
Kirkus
