Saving Tom Black

 A Jake Silver Adventure

by Jere D. James
Moonlight Mesa Associates, 2009

Escaping from an Orphan Train, teenager Elizabeth DuBonnet sets out to find her mother and sister. With only a little stolen money her determination to succeed is her only strength. As the hopelessness of her task starts to take it’s toll, Elizabeth, with the help of Thomas Jefferson, becomes Tom Black, hoping that disguised as a young man she’ll attract less attention as she continues her search.

Jake Silver is the new U.S. Deputy Marshal whose path keeps crossing that of Tom Black, and like most everyone else who meets Black, sees straight through Elizabeth’s disguise which leads to some very humorous exchanges of dialogue and situations. Silver takes Elizabeth under his wing and promises to help her in her quest. Of course Silver has his own business to attend to and cannot stay with Elizabeth all the time and she once more sets out alone to find her mother.

Elizabeth soon discovers that life on the trail is full of dangers, heartbreak and the confusing emotions of chasing dreams and falling in love. Jake Silver attempts to ward off those feelings of attraction and love, whilst taking on a group of land-grabbers and murderers whilst investigating missing girls that may, or may not, be linked to a local Mormon community.

Jere D. James has written a book that grabs the readers’ attention from the opening paragraph and doesn’t let go until the final word. His smooth flowing prose is easy to read and he paces the story beautifully. There are many heart-warming scenes and others that sadden. There’s plenty of action as both Elizabeth and Silver find themselves fighting for their lives. The book is filled with memorable characters that are portrayed expertly, making it easy for the reader to share their pain and joy.

And does Elizabeth find her mother and sister? Does she find love and happiness with Jake? Sorry that’s not for me to reveal here, you’ll just have to buy the book to find out for yourselves, and hopefully enjoy the journey to those answers as much as I did.

Saving Tom Black will be officially released in late October and will "debut" at Mesa's Old West Days Festival, November 7th and 8th, in Mesa, Arizona. To find out more, and to order the book go here.

A second Jake Silver novel, Apache, is scheduled to appear in 2010.