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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
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).
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).
lingfish7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brandifox's review against another edition
If you are a fan of Miss Fischer and enjoy dreaming about 1930s fashions in the backdrop of mystery and Manhattan this is a book for you. Charming and cozy with romance.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
Super fun mystery set in NYC during the 1930’s. It features Lane, an aide to Fiorello LaGuardia, the mayor of New York. Loved the historical references, especially the aunt with the Van Gogh paintings.
katreader's review against another edition
5.0
THE SILVER GUN by L.A. Chandlar
The First Art Deco Mystery
Working for Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia is always an adventure, but after Lane Sanders runs into a mysterious good looking man exiting his office and locks eyes with another man with an evil glare who's watching her at the subway things get even more thrilling. Lane must not only keep up with the mayor's antics and deal with two sourpussed secretaries jealous of her promotion, but she must join forces with friends and family to work on "the case". There's a threat against the mayor, but the attacks are aimed at Lane. Could she be the real target? Should she trust that mysterious man who seems to pop up whenever she's in danger? And what is the meaning behind the silver gun in her dreams?
Intrigue, adventure, and a touch of romance, this historical mystery has it all!
THE SILVER GUN is filled with unique richly developed characters. Lane Sanders is an eager young woman willing to reach out for what she wants and who is not one to sit by the sidelines. She thrusts herself into danger and rescues herself, no wilting flower is she! Lane lives life to the fullest. She's a woman I'd love to know and call friend. Finn Brodie is not only swoonworthy, he's a complex character with hidden depths. Speaking of hidden depths, there are lots of characters with mysterious backgrounds. Not everything nor everyone is as it seems, which adds to the excitement and surprises which continue to unfold throughout the book.
I love just about everything in this first Art Deco mystery. The rich attention to detail provides added layers. I love hearing about the artists and songs from the time, and laugh as Lane gets the lyrics wrong. I appreciate the architecture, fashion, and the food. I never realized potato chips where a thing in the 1930s and I desperately want some fried olives.
THE SILVER GUN grabbed my attention from the start and would not let go. There are so many dimensions involved and the novel captivated me in so many ways. With laugh out loud escapades, romance, camaraderie, danger, and special dreams, it's thrilling, charming, and funny, and not to be missed.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
The First Art Deco Mystery
Working for Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia is always an adventure, but after Lane Sanders runs into a mysterious good looking man exiting his office and locks eyes with another man with an evil glare who's watching her at the subway things get even more thrilling. Lane must not only keep up with the mayor's antics and deal with two sourpussed secretaries jealous of her promotion, but she must join forces with friends and family to work on "the case". There's a threat against the mayor, but the attacks are aimed at Lane. Could she be the real target? Should she trust that mysterious man who seems to pop up whenever she's in danger? And what is the meaning behind the silver gun in her dreams?
Intrigue, adventure, and a touch of romance, this historical mystery has it all!
THE SILVER GUN is filled with unique richly developed characters. Lane Sanders is an eager young woman willing to reach out for what she wants and who is not one to sit by the sidelines. She thrusts herself into danger and rescues herself, no wilting flower is she! Lane lives life to the fullest. She's a woman I'd love to know and call friend. Finn Brodie is not only swoonworthy, he's a complex character with hidden depths. Speaking of hidden depths, there are lots of characters with mysterious backgrounds. Not everything nor everyone is as it seems, which adds to the excitement and surprises which continue to unfold throughout the book.
I love just about everything in this first Art Deco mystery. The rich attention to detail provides added layers. I love hearing about the artists and songs from the time, and laugh as Lane gets the lyrics wrong. I appreciate the architecture, fashion, and the food. I never realized potato chips where a thing in the 1930s and I desperately want some fried olives.
THE SILVER GUN grabbed my attention from the start and would not let go. There are so many dimensions involved and the novel captivated me in so many ways. With laugh out loud escapades, romance, camaraderie, danger, and special dreams, it's thrilling, charming, and funny, and not to be missed.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
keclark's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of twists and turns throughout the story that definitely kept things interesting! I also loved the details of Lane's clothes!
gawronma's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the book started slow but by the end I was hooked. I'm even thinking of picking up the second book in the series.
valerielong's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was just phenomenal. I don't give 5 stars lightly, but I think this first book in the new Art Deco Mystery series deserves it. I was a little concerned at first as I had a hard time getting into it, but as I do with every book, I gave it 50 pages. It didn't need that long before it grabbed me and never let go. There was so much action and intrigue in this book. I told my mom at one point that I had thought I was getting to the climax only to find that I was only halfway done with the book!
The characters are awesome. I love Lane and Evelyn and Mr. Kirkland and Finn and all of them! I cannot wait to get to know them further in other books. They're well-rounded characters and complex. There are so many things that you learn about them just in this first book!
The plot was brilliant. I read a "professional" review that said it was too formulaic but I think they were wrong. These days it's hard to find a book that doesn't follow at least some formula to a degree. In romance, you're going to have the getting together, then the problem/break-up and then the reunion and happy ever after. It's just inevitable. In mysteries, you're going to have the heroine trying to figure out how to save the day at the end, either by finding the killer/robber/arsonist or by stopping some horrible event from happening. It's just part of story writing. However, in my opinion, this story had so many ups and downs, so many little climaxes and then ratcheting up the action more that it kept it from being too formulaic.
I'd still consider this a cozy - even with the amount of suspense and intrigue that there was. There still wasn't much language or physical displays of affection. We had a young, female heroine who wasn't part of the police or other crime stopping team, though she certainly had plenty of ties there. Plus, when there was a death or killing, there wasn't a lot of discussion dealing with blood and gore. Nonetheless, this was definitely hopping more with suspense than your traditional cozy.
I absolutely loved this book and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is a mystery lover. You should seriously let your fingers run, not walk, to one of the online retailers or to a brick and mortar store and buy this book in some format.
If you do, I'd love to hear your opinion of the book!
The characters are awesome. I love Lane and Evelyn and Mr. Kirkland and Finn and all of them! I cannot wait to get to know them further in other books. They're well-rounded characters and complex. There are so many things that you learn about them just in this first book!
The plot was brilliant. I read a "professional" review that said it was too formulaic but I think they were wrong. These days it's hard to find a book that doesn't follow at least some formula to a degree. In romance, you're going to have the getting together, then the problem/break-up and then the reunion and happy ever after. It's just inevitable. In mysteries, you're going to have the heroine trying to figure out how to save the day at the end, either by finding the killer/robber/arsonist or by stopping some horrible event from happening. It's just part of story writing. However, in my opinion, this story had so many ups and downs, so many little climaxes and then ratcheting up the action more that it kept it from being too formulaic.
I'd still consider this a cozy - even with the amount of suspense and intrigue that there was. There still wasn't much language or physical displays of affection. We had a young, female heroine who wasn't part of the police or other crime stopping team, though she certainly had plenty of ties there. Plus, when there was a death or killing, there wasn't a lot of discussion dealing with blood and gore. Nonetheless, this was definitely hopping more with suspense than your traditional cozy.
I absolutely loved this book and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is a mystery lover. You should seriously let your fingers run, not walk, to one of the online retailers or to a brick and mortar store and buy this book in some format.
If you do, I'd love to hear your opinion of the book!
krisrid's review against another edition
4.0
If you love New York City, then I highly recommend this book to you. The author's bio tells us she lives there so that's probably expected, but her love for the city and its history - the good as well as the bad - comes through in every page of this story. There are people, places and things, as well as events that truly celebrate this vibrant city where anything can, and often does, happen.
I vacillated a bit on the rating for this between 3 and 4 stars, because the romance portion fell a bit flat for me. But in the end the mystery, the action, and the sense of place in 1930s New York, which was the majority of the book was so well done and entertaining I gave it the extra star.
The character of Lane was for the most part very likable. She is spunky, determined and very modern especially for her time. I absolutely adored the relationship between her and her boss, NYC mayor Fiorello La Guardia! The scenes with the two of them were some of the best in the book, and the author's note at the end confirms that virtually everything she has LaGuardia do in this book are in fact things he actually did do. He is a character and a half, and I loved getting to know him in this story.
The actual plot and the mysteries that were part of it I also very much enjoyed. Between mad dashes around various parts of New York, gangsters, guns, and complicated plots, this was pure entertaining fun. There are plenty of clues if you're the type who likes to try to figure things out before the reveal, but you don't have to do that to enjoy the adventure.
As I said earlier, the one part of this that didn't really work for me was the romance the author had happening for Lane. I felt like the story was more than enough entertainment without a romance component, and the scenes where Lane was having or talking about romantic encounters felt really sort of forced into the story. It seemed out of left field in with the other stuff that was happening and distracted me each time. I don't have anything against romance in a story, and I liked Lane and her potential suitors - I just didn't feel like it really "fit" with the main focus of the story. But that is a very small quibble. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
I vacillated a bit on the rating for this between 3 and 4 stars, because the romance portion fell a bit flat for me. But in the end the mystery, the action, and the sense of place in 1930s New York, which was the majority of the book was so well done and entertaining I gave it the extra star.
The character of Lane was for the most part very likable. She is spunky, determined and very modern especially for her time. I absolutely adored the relationship between her and her boss, NYC mayor Fiorello La Guardia! The scenes with the two of them were some of the best in the book, and the author's note at the end confirms that virtually everything she has LaGuardia do in this book are in fact things he actually did do. He is a character and a half, and I loved getting to know him in this story.
The actual plot and the mysteries that were part of it I also very much enjoyed. Between mad dashes around various parts of New York, gangsters, guns, and complicated plots, this was pure entertaining fun. There are plenty of clues if you're the type who likes to try to figure things out before the reveal, but you don't have to do that to enjoy the adventure.
As I said earlier, the one part of this that didn't really work for me was the romance the author had happening for Lane. I felt like the story was more than enough entertainment without a romance component, and the scenes where Lane was having or talking about romantic encounters felt really sort of forced into the story. It seemed out of left field in with the other stuff that was happening and distracted me each time. I don't have anything against romance in a story, and I liked Lane and her potential suitors - I just didn't feel like it really "fit" with the main focus of the story. But that is a very small quibble. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.