Mary Volmer: 2 books

“Reliance, Illinois has it all—mystery, politics, war; love, death, and art . . . Every page is a pleasure” (Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves). Illinois, 1874: With a birthmark covering half her face, thirteen-year-old Madelyn Branch is accustomed to...

A “remarkable” historical novel about a woman hiding from her past in a hardscrabble Gold Rush town (The Washington Times). The gold rush has taken hold of the Wild West. Pioneers from around the country congregate in makeshift settlements like Motherlode in hopes of striking it rich. It’s...