Miners’ Moon, the fourth novel of “A Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery” series by Julie Weston, is a suspenseful thriller that takes place in northern Idaho during Prohibition.
Nellie Burns, a crime photographer, and Sheriff Charlie Astenguigoiri travel from central to northern Idaho on an assignment to investigate bootlegging activities. While there, a mine explosion draws them into a second investigation. They send home for their friend, a retired miner, Ross (Rosy) Kipling, to help them solve the mine explosion. Rosy brings Nellie’s black lab, Moonshine—named after the silvery light of the moon, not illegally made distilled alcohol.
Charlie tramps the hills and valleys of the back country searching for illegal stills, often found in abandoned mines. In the meantime, Nellie questions survivors of the mine explosion. Was the explosion sabotage or a just a terrible accident in which six men died and many more injured? She takes pictures of the survivors and of scenes that might help solve the mystery. Her dog, at her side whenever possible, plays an important life-saving role in Nellie’s quest for the truth. In the meantime, Rosy pretends to seek work as a miner and descends the principal mine to learn what caused the explosion. Eventually, all three descend the depths of the mine, with potentially disastrous results.
Miners’ Moon is rich in mining details—its methods and terminology. It’s a dirty, smelly, unhealthy occupation, with miners at the mercy of the company. The forming of unions is discouraged, sometimes violently so. The novel also is informative about Prohibition and its ramifications, which often involved complicity of local officials. The interaction between the characters is fun and brings hope that Nellie and Charlie may finally have more than a business relationship.
I very much enjoyed Miners’ Moon and found this latest book of the series as captivating as its prequels. The suspenseful story kept me intrigued from beginning to end.