Oh, Mary Volmer, what have you done to me? Two sleepless nights because once I picked up your first novel," Crown of Dust", I had trouble setting it aside. And even when I had laid it to rest on my nightstand, your characters continued to roam around inside my mind with their weighty secrets and their perilous endeavors in Motherlode. Gold fever created this town: raised its canvas roofs, created the thirsts slaked in Emaline's bar and bed, brought together the ragged band of drifters, grifters, drunks and dreamers. Holes dug with pickaxe and shovel in search of gold were always prone to cave in, threatened further by the hasty blasts set off upstream. Another kind of explosion was set to devastate the lives of secretive Alex, haunted David, stalwart Jed, and Emaline, who was the queen of Motherlode, its own mother, its very heart. And now, I can't wait to dive into "Reliance, Illinois" to see what you have made of this prairie town and its residents. ( )

Volmer has great descriptive powers and easily paints a picture of the California Gold Rush, with only the very last page appearing somewhat trite and predictable. ( )