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Silverville Saga #1
The Silverville Swindle
Billy Nobel was always looking for The Big One. It was something that always eluded him until the night he ran over UFO expert Earl Bob Jackson while he was relieving himself on the side of a mountain pass in the middle of a snowstorm. Now with a dead body behind him and a newly stolen Cadillac DeVille, Billy finds himself staring "The Big One" right in the eye when he drives into Silverville, a quiet Colorado mountain community with a sagging economy and a UFO scheme to bring the tourist dollars in. First an amusement park and museum, then a celestial motif for the town. Cowboys and embezzlers, tourists and con men, Hells Angels and religious zealots all get caught up in the frenzy, some hoping to make a quick buck, others seeking a spiritual message from beyond the stars. It is the payoff Billy has been waiting for his entire life-if he can just keep up the charade long enough to get his cash and skip town before the locals and cops discover the con. A funny and irreverent novel about the New West and the growing pains that change brings.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 20, 2014
When Howard encounters Alien Visitors in his hometown of Silverville, Colorado, they give him an important message. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember what the message is.
But Buford Price capitalizes on the encounter anyway. The whole town does. Every business it seems is renamed and revamped with a UFO theme. And now the people of Silverville are ready to "go public".
They've built a theme park and hired a UFO specialist from out of town. Earl Bob Jackson.
But while relieving himself outside of his car in a Colorado snowstorm, Earl Bob is hit and killed by Billy Noble. Billy is a con man looking for "The Big One". When Billy realizes that he killed this man, he takes his wallet loaded with cash and his car. The dead man doesn't need them anymore.
When Billy arrives in the next town (Silverville), he's greeted at the local diner by a small group of men who naturally mistake him for Earl Bob. After hearing their plans for the town, Billy thinks this just might be the Big One he's been looking for.
If he only knew what kind of Adventure he's really in for...
But Buford Price capitalizes on the encounter anyway. The whole town does. Every business it seems is renamed and revamped with a UFO theme. And now the people of Silverville are ready to "go public".
They've built a theme park and hired a UFO specialist from out of town. Earl Bob Jackson.
But while relieving himself outside of his car in a Colorado snowstorm, Earl Bob is hit and killed by Billy Noble. Billy is a con man looking for "The Big One". When Billy realizes that he killed this man, he takes his wallet loaded with cash and his car. The dead man doesn't need them anymore.
When Billy arrives in the next town (Silverville), he's greeted at the local diner by a small group of men who naturally mistake him for Earl Bob. After hearing their plans for the town, Billy thinks this just might be the Big One he's been looking for.
If he only knew what kind of Adventure he's really in for...
March 27, 2013
What happens when a town's local resident spots a UFO?
The book, originally titled "The Silverville Swindle," came out in 2006 through Ghost Road Press. The novel was chosen as the One Book/One Valley reading selection in 2007, went on to receive a 2008 nomination for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Fiction Award, and was placed on the Washington, D.C., Center for the Book recommended reading list at the Library of Congress.
We're very excited that the book is now moving to its new home at Raspberry Creek Books as Book One of the Silverville Saga, and in a new (and once again more affordable) trade paperback.
We've also revised this new edition.
Although it can be read as a standalone -- all the Silverville books can -- we've inserted foreshadowing for the three books in the series that follow.
The book, originally titled "The Silverville Swindle," came out in 2006 through Ghost Road Press. The novel was chosen as the One Book/One Valley reading selection in 2007, went on to receive a 2008 nomination for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Fiction Award, and was placed on the Washington, D.C., Center for the Book recommended reading list at the Library of Congress.
We're very excited that the book is now moving to its new home at Raspberry Creek Books as Book One of the Silverville Saga, and in a new (and once again more affordable) trade paperback.
We've also revised this new edition.
Although it can be read as a standalone -- all the Silverville books can -- we've inserted foreshadowing for the three books in the series that follow.
April 22, 2010
This is a fun story about a local people in a small Colorado town who are caught up in a murder mystery as well as some creepy conspiracy about invading aliens from outer space. Husband-wife authors Kim O'Connell-Todd and Mark Todd have cleverly collaborated on this tale that is full of colorful characters and some pretty kooky goings-on. (Incidentally, how do two people create a novel together anyway, much less manage to still stay happily married while they work on the sequel?) Lots of funky happenings in this short, imaginative yarn.
May 7, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this wild-character, fast moving and fun book. I should have seen the link to the second book in the series, but I didn't and loved reading that last paragraph! Even my seven-year old son enjoyed hearing bits of the story. There was some mild language that I had to edit as a read it. I would definitely recommend to all.
**Disclaimer: I did receive this book as part of a GoodReads giveaway, but it did not influence my review.**
**Disclaimer: I did receive this book as part of a GoodReads giveaway, but it did not influence my review.**
November 23, 2008
What a truly funny book! Mark and Kym really captured the flavor of small mountain town life and write expertly on a sub-culture of Americana. Crisp, witty dialog also makes this book a joy. I know, I published this book, but I really mean it!
May 15, 2008
surprisingly good--I'm looking forward to reading the sequel
lots of grammatical errors, though (esp. homonyms)
lots of grammatical errors, though (esp. homonyms)
September 27, 2009
Our new commemorative hardback of the previously issued paperback.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews