On The Fringes: A Western Historical Novel

by Randi Samuelson-Brown

From Award Winning author Randi Samuelson-Brown, a gritty tale about one woman’s stark determination to create her own destiny. A clairvoyant, a mining swindle, and a fresh start... Maude Montgomery, gifted with the second-sight, is trapped in a bad marriage to a confidence man who doesn’t inspire too much confidence in her. Yearning for a better existence, she gets more than she bargained for when her husband abandons her in a remote outpost of Nebraska. Alone for the first time in her life, Maude has a decision to make–return back East to nothingness and mediocrity, or head deeper into the West to find her fortune. She chooses to take her chances in the west, and lands in Cripple Creek where she learns gold is not scattered about in the streets. Armed with little more than an untested belief she can sense gold ore deposits, Maude becomes tangled up in the gold camp’s underworld and is instrumental in the makings of a mining swindle. Uncertain where to turn, or who to trust, she’s about to learn first-hand that all that glitters might not be gold, and freedom demands a hefty price.

346 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2022

About the author

All things Western, all things Colorado. Born and raised in Golden Colorado, now lives in Denver.

Reviews

[Shalyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story that kept me reading. I met the author at an event, which gave it some added enjoyment.

It was also interesting to read it when it was set in Cripple Creek, a town we have visited and whose past is easy to wonder about.

[Cara Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randi Samuelson-Brown weaves a rollicking great yarn, full of sly reminders that whatever the West won or lost, tough and savvy women had plenty to do with it! If only historical westerns had starred more strong women characters like these all along, they would've blazed a wider trail through my library from the start! On The Fringes is a page-turner, with all the high stakes, hard-bitten villains, and scrappy heroes you could want. That the protagonist wears a skirt makes the story no less of a rough and wild ride. That she's clairvoyant adds extra spark to the fire. Even the splashes of sobering reality only added savor to this entertaining read.

[Natalie Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows the complicated life of a clairvoyant set in 1895. The author paints a vivid picture of Cripple Creek, Colorado as a sassy Maude Montgomery takes her chances to a life of independence in a gritty mining town. A few surprising twists. Fun read.