The Silver Gun

The Silver Gun by L.A. Chandlar is the first book in An Art Deco Mystery series. Lane Sanders is aide to the 99th New York City Mayor Fiorello “Fio” LaGuardia. It has been busy with Fio’s efforts to stop the various gang enterprises in the city (slot machines for example) and his many reform ideas. One night at the scene of a fire, Lane is grabbed and threatened. One of the gangs is trying to scare off Fio through Lane. This is just the beginning of their efforts to scare Lane and get Fio out of office. Lane and her friends work to find out which gang leader is behind the attacks and stop them before the violence escalates. Lane has noticed a handsome man that seems to be following her. Is he out to help her or a part of the conspiracy? The Silver Gun has a wonderful, strong female main character in Lane Sanders (well thought out and developed). Lane is spunky and has moxie. L.A. Chandlar did her research for An Art Deco Mystery series. She captured the era, the city and did a wonderful job at portraying the dynamic Fiorello LaGuardia. My rating for The Silver Gun is 3 out of 5 stars. I did think that the pace of the novel was slow. The author put so many details, events, and characters into the story that it made the story seem lengthy (and at times it read like a book on the history of the era). I wish the author had a different writing style. It would have made a world of difference (if she wrote like Leslie Meier, Laura Childs, Ellery Adams or Kate Carlisle for example). The mystery seemed complicated, but it is easily solved early in the story. I did find it unusual that Lane seemed to meet the same people no matter where she was in the city. Fio seemed to arrive at any incident in the city within minutes of it being reported (sometimes faster). I was curious how Fio showed up before Lane has been rescued from the train tracks. Her family also arrived equally as quick. I thought adding the famous painter (name would be a spoiler) to the story was a bit of a stretch (just made me roll my eyes in disbelief).

What a wonderful book! The Silver Gun is the best historical mystery I've read in ages. The setting of The Silver Gun is New York City, in 1936. Author L.A. Chandlar's love for her city and the Art Deco movement is readily apparent, and also her fondness for Mayor LaGuardia, one of the stars of this book. Chandlar has incorporated some actual deeds, antics, and achievements of LaGuardia into her novel, which increased my interest and enjoyment of The Silver Gun. It's a very fun read that's almost impossible to put down. The action is told in first person by Lane Sanders, the protagonist. I love Lane's voice, her personality, her spunk. The Silver Gun has humor, excitement, mystery, danger, romance, lots of great characters, and more! Action-packed rescues (yes, more than one!), thrilling climaxes (yes, more than one!), and trumpet fanfares! I really like the twist at the very end. It's quite a teaser for the next book in the series. I am eagerly awaiting the release of The Gold Pawn, Book #2, in September. I can't wait to read it. I will definitely continue with the Art Deco Mysteries! I highly recommend The Silver Gun, especially to those who live, work, or vacation in the Big Apple, and to cozy readers who like their mystery mixed with history. I think you'll really enjoy it. The Silver Gun has earned our highest rating of Five Stars — it's amazing! Note: I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of The Silver Gun. All opinions shared are 100% my own. Originally published on my blog Jane Reads.