In this Carson City Chronicles historical cozy mystery, stories about outlaw Manitoba Joe Clark follow him like tumbleweed trailing a dust devil. Some say he killed three Mounties. Some say he picked up Big Johnny-One-Shot and threw him off Bridal Veil Falls. Others claim he held up the Kansas Denver Railroad by pulling the rails out with his bare hands. But did he murder the Carson City bank manager?
Book 3, Carson City Chronicles: Roberta and the Renegade historical fiction cozy mystery by Stephen Bly and Janet Chester Bly
On the day outlaw Manitoba Joe Clark runs out of the Carson City bank with $25,000, banker Sam Tjader lies dead inside. An open-and-shut case of robbery and murder. But the outlaw swears he’s innocent. And begs Judge Hollis Kingston to find out who framed him.
On the home front, the Kingstons also face challenges and hard times. With both their son and daughter.
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Excerpt from Roberta and the Renegade:
“Judge, I admit I robbed the bank. Although I still can’t figure how he crammed that much money in the bag. I surely would have liked to count ip and finger it a while.”
“The reason you didn’t is because you were captured on Carson Street after you ran in front of a six-horse stagecoach. You were knocked flat while trying to steal one of the horses as it trotted through town.”
Manitoba Joe clenched his stubby, powerful fingers around the prison bars. “It’s worked before.”
“When the bag got trampled it burst. The bank notes got caught in stiff winds of that Chinook. Some suspect it blew those bills all the way to Mexico.”
Manitoba Joe snorted. “Ever’ word you said is true. But I didn’t shoot Sam Tjader.”
Judge Kingston leaned forward. “Sometimes we get emotionally charged and we do things we don’t remember doing. Could it be you shot Sam in the heat of the moment and didn’t realize it?”
“Nope. That theory don’t hold. I’ve been holdin’ up banks since I was fourteen. I don’t get any more emotional doin’ that than most folks do playin’ croquet.”
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Other titles in the Carson City Chronicles historical cozy mystery series include Judith & The Judge and Marthellen & The Major.
Kim Ford Christian Fiction Online Magazine author interview with Stephen Bly: http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/june-10-best_interview.html
Video by Janet Chester Bly on the writing of historical cozy mystery Carson City Chronicles series. And contemporary cozy mystery Hidden West Series:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yDrinCEDWo&feature=share&list=PL1R4q2SVqrQZHIp9bh38Zd1RNTjg54fmO[/youtube]
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Roberta & The Renegade
Audio Book
Click button below for Audio book edition of Roberta and the Renegade historical fiction cozy mystery … read by Laurie Klein of Books In Motion
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