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Title: False Claims at the Little Stephen Mine
Subtitle: The Legend of Stuart Brannon #2
Author: Stephen Bly
Narrator: Jerry Sciarrio
Format: Unabridged
Length: 6 hrs
Language: English
Release date: 10-28-08
Publisher: Books in Motion
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 14 votes
Genres: Fiction, Westerns
Publisher's Summary:
After months of digging, Stuart Brannon and Edwin Fletcher finally hit the mother load, only to find someone else is after their claim. Under attack, they ally themselves with three Ute Indians and fortify the mine. As the siege continues, Brannon rescues Fletcher from a band of kidnapping claim jumpers, and ends up with another companion in the bargain. Velvet Wendell becomes the third partner in the Little Stephen Mining Company. Soon, Brannon and his partners are fighting both a professional gunman and the powerful Colorado Southern Mining Corporation. In the midst of the fight, Stuart must confront the threat to his claim and, much to his surprise, his own greed.
©1992 Stephen Bly; (P)2002 Books in Motion
Members Reviews:
Four Stars
I like all the brannon series.
I Say...
This second Stuart Brannon book finds our hero prospecting for gold with the help of two friends he met the last book, Everett and Fletcher. However, many powerful and dangerous men are determined to take the mine from them.
Overall, this is another solid Western from Stephen Bly, though not quite as good as Hard Winter at Broken Arrow Crossing. The book has a good mix of action, humor, and drama and has a great deal of authenticity.
The core conflict of the book is good as Brannon deals with the pitfalls of trying to hold on to sudden wealth. It examines what greed can do to even an upstanding man like Stuart Brannon and the bookâs key confict is whether Brannon will focus his life on acquiring gold or be true to his highest ideals. Itâs a great conflict with a solid resolution, and features as memorable a cast of Western characters as could be found anywhere.
If I had any complaint itâs that Fletcherâs habit of beginning every sentence with, âI say, Brannon,â became a bit wearing by the end. Still, other than that tick, I enjoyed every part of this great Western novel.
Second installment in the Stuart Brannon series
Stuart Brannon tries his hand at prospecting in the second book of the series that bears his name. After the events of the first book, Brannon and his British friend Edwin Fletcher are still in the Colorado mountains, working hard to dig out a little gold from their mine. While Brannon's simple goal is to make enough money to finance a return to his Arizona ranch, little do they suspect their quiet location will soon be the center of multiple disputes and battles.
Challenging Brannon and Fletcher's claim to the land is Abner Cheney, who says the government gave him the right to the whole mountain because of the railroad he intends to put in. Cheney's former clerk Waldo Vance has also taken it into his head to usurp Cheney and take over the mine for himself. The warring factions come against each other as well as Stuart and friends, bringing in both lawmen and gunfighters to help persuade Brannon and Fletcher to desert their post.
Meanwhile Brannon strikes up an unexpected alliance with three Ute Indians, and faces another challenge when Velvet Wendell inherits one-fourth of their mine after Everett Davis's death. Brannon doesn't think that prospecting is any kind of life for a woman, but Velvet insists that she can pull her weight and that she deserves the chance to find some security after a life full of heartache.
The question Brannon must ask himself over the course of these struggles is what is right in any given situation.
