The Binding Oath

Rating:
Summary: A terrific mixture of history and mystery!
Review: Sybil Downing does a wonderful job of evoking the menace of the 1920s in Colorado when the KKK ran the state, from the governor's office to the local precinct. Newspaper reporter Liz O'Brien balks at the constraints of "society reporter," sets out to cover the hard news, and finds herself up against the KKK and murder. It's a terrific plot, with strong and determined characters. No one intends to back down--certainly not the KKK and not Liz! I very much enjoyed this novel. Downing is that rare writer who knows how to serve up a lot of solid history while telling a terrific story.

Rating:
Summary: A spellbinder!
Review: The laundry can wait. Once you start following Downing's Liz O'Brien into the dark world of the Ku Klux Klan in 1922 Denver, you won't want to stop until the end. Murder and intimidation, plus the blighting of innocent lives simply due to their Race or Religion, is the major theme of the book, but the reader also gets a generous helping of what it was like being a woman struggling for a career in a male-dominated field, in that era.
I loved this gutsy yet vulnerable lady. It's a splendid read.

Rating:
Summary: Courage in Colorado
Review: Trust Downing to uncover the drama that everyone else forgot--KKK in Colorado!! And it's a good story. Downing's Liz O'Brien takes on the Klan in the 1920s when most women were still stuck in Victorian mode. O'Brien's courage takes her into life-threatening situations that reveal what all of us need to remember, namely that courage and standing up for our rights is always an individual decision. This is a great read, not only because it reveals a piece of history not well known, but because it allows the reader to believe in humanity. Go for it!