Cannons of the Comstock

Saga of the Sierras #5

by Brock Thoene, Bodie Thoene

With Her Tragic Loss Still a Painful Memory, How Can Emily Let Them Go into the Unknown?California during the Civil War was neither as remote nor as uninvolved as may be thought. Because of rebel sympathizers stealing Union gold for the South, Tom Dawson's brother had already been killed in the mountains of Shadow Ridge, leaving behind a family and ranch in Tom's care. But was more at stake than anyone knew then?The mines of California and the Comstock Lode were a principal source of gold and silver in which the United States government and many Northern businesses had a tremendous stake. But at least one-third of the pioneer Californians were from the South. The goal of secret Confederate societies was to take California out of the Union and form a Republic of the Pacific.Dawson finds himself the middleman in a bold attempt to infiltrate and expose the conspiracy to raise and equip an army that would engulf California in the Civil War and break the Union blockade that was strangling the South. And his only link to tracing the conspirators is a nine-year-old black child, Mont James!

Genres: Christian Fiction, Westerns, Historical, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1992

About the author

BODIE AND BROCK THOENE (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 45 works of historical fiction. These best sellers have sold more than 10 million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards.

Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.

Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and five grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.

Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.

Reviews

[★*☆♪Ev★*☆♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending! Ok, better than I expected, but I am a civil war girl, so I probably should have been prepared to like this!

[Cws]

JAR6-Tho

[Mark M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story line but man did these authors really revisit the same usual beats and tropes for each of the books in this series. At this point it’s only because im a completionist that I’m persevering through these basically written books filled with heavy-handed Christian themes and offensive cultural references.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is listed as the 5th book in the series, it should be 3rd (coming after Gold Rush Prodigal and The Man from Shadow Ridge. While this book was not nearly as gory or violent as some of the books in this series, I still did not love it. I found the plot to be somewhat disjointed, as if some events had been added or invented to add volume to the book.

[Lane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This entry in the series has a decent plot. The characters have an advantage in their development as they have appeared in previous books but Monk as a nine year old performs like an adult. I am a big fan of the Comstock so could not resist this book.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow-up to "The Man from Shadow Ridge," can also be read as a stand-alone. I found this book way more exciting than "Shadow Ridge."

[Shirley Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a quick read.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

At long last, we get to read more about Tom Dawson, Mont James, Emily and others that kicked off this series of westerns. The return is welcome, as these are some of the strongest characters the authors have created in this series.
In this installment, Dawson and young Mont head to San Francisco to try and stop a Confederate plot. Mont, age 9, goes in the hope that he'll recognize one of the men involved from his time in Richmond, VA. The plot is full of twists and turns, traitorous people posing as friends, and unexpected detours into Chinatown, the mines surrounding Virginia City, NV, and even an appearance by Mark Twain.
One of the best books in this series by far.