DEADLY GOLD
1574160605
By Hal Simmons
256 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, CLPDEADLYGOLD (paper) $14.95

Author Tony Hillerman says, “Deadly Gold is a novel with murders and mystery, but no dull moments.
     “In his new novel, Hal Simmons dips into his experience as a news reporter, lawyer and high country fly fisherman. In a small town in the Rocky Mountains, he takes you on a nail-biting adventure involving death and gold.
     “Fame, fortune and a relaxing encounter are what Marc is seeking when he leaves his urban newspaper job and heads for Crystal, Colorado, hoping to land a job as reporter on the newspaper in a quiet little mining town. But nothing is quiet in Crystal but the falling snow. Simmons leads his hero through enough death defying adventures to provide a script for a half-dozen Harrison Ford movies, ranging in locale from high atop icy mountain cliffs to the depth of abandoned mine shafts and including a story love affair.
     “Deadly Gold doesn’t turn out to be relaxing for Simmons’ hero and it won’t be for the reader.” (Tony Hillerman)

"A taut, exciting novel set in the Colorado Rockies, where gold mining and greed draw a young newspaperman onto a perilous path that leads to murder." (Marc Simmons, author and historian)

Reviews of Deadly Gold:

"Simmons’ use of descriptive passages leads the reader to the top of some of this nation’s tallest pinnacles and down to the bowels of the Earth. The reader feels the chill of being caught in a blizzard and even those who have no fear of small, confined spaces will find themselves claustrophobic when trapped in a mineshaft. This must-read book is 261 pages long and makes for an enjoyable, fast-paced read." (Rio Rancho Observer)
        "Drawing on his experience as a lawyer, journalist and mine enthusiast, Simmons has succeeded in creating a unique and thrilling new novel with a twist of mining history. Deadly Gold follows reporter Marc Young as he gives up his big-city job to move to a Colorado mining town and work as a reporter for the local paper. In this seemingly quiet city, Young finds a story most reporters would die for—and he just might. The book’s locale ranges from freezing mountain tops to the depths of mining shafts as well as the depths of Young’s relationship with a fiery woman he meets. Perhaps Tony Hillerman put it best when he said, ‘Simmons leads his hero through enough death-defying adventures to provide script for a half-dozen Harrison Ford movies.’"(Tidal Wave Spotlight, Tidal Wave Books, Albuquerque, NM)
        "Deadly Gold is about newspaper reporter Marc Young who gives up his big-city gig to work for a small paper in a Colorado mining town. There, Young finds a story most reporters would kill for, but that he just might end up getting killed for. Danger awaits the novel’s hero on the icy heights of mountain cliffs, in the tomb-dark depths of a mine shaft and in the arms of an unpredictable woman. The book is an old-fashioned potboiler that draws on Simmons’ expertise as a practicing lawyer, a former newspaper reporter and an ever-avid fly fisherman. It also owes a lot to Simmons’ fascination with mining." (Albuquerque Tribune)
        "Readers will appreciate Simmons’ skillfully-executed action scenes and his expertise in describing mining operations. His depictions of the fictional Crystalton ring true to those familiar with Leadville, Cripple Creek or other mining towns in Colorado; as in the novel, several of these sites have turned to gambling to provide jobs and revenue for the communities to survive. The theme of the environmental costs of mining enterprises is a timely one as Westerners continue to debate the role that mining companies should play in environmental cleanups of waste sites dating from the 19th century. The novel, however, is not a heavy-handed indictment of the extractive industries but an old-fashioned mystery where the villains meet their fate and the virtuous survive." (Southwest BookViews)
        "I started to read this mystery story one Sunday after lunch. Except for a mid-afternoon snack break, I didn’t put the book down until I finished it. As Tony Hillerman writes in his preface, ‘Simmons leads his hero through enough death-defying adventures to provide a script for a half-dozen Harrison Ford movies. Deadly Gold doesn’t turn out to be relaxing for Simmons’ hero and it won’t for the reader.' While reporters new to isolated towns are often doomed to solitary suppers in front of the TV, Young finds a girlfriend the first evening. He also almost manages to kill himself (and her) on their first date. The pace of the book doesn’t let up from there. ...Simmons describes life in the Colorado Rockies well. He understands the friction and power struggles that dominate life in a small town. People living in isolation, even in the midst of the most beautiful scenery, often end up hating each other. The author’s descriptions of a small newspaper’s workings are accurate and amusing. His minor characters could be true-life portraits of people associated with many rural papers." (Santa Fe New Mexican)