Finalist in the May Sarton Literary Award – Story Circle Network
“The reader walks effortlessly into a West long behind us, in this gorgeously written, taut mystery. Secrets are the fuel of all fiction — prepare for Moonshadows to burn brightly.”–Ridley Pearson author of The Red Room
“Anyone who loves Western history and a good mystery will find Moonshadows hard to resist. The captivating story combines an intriguing plot with a historical-based look at Idaho in the days of the first automobiles. Julie Weston’s heroine, a spunky young woman making her career as a photographer, combines the perfect amounts of charm and persistence in solving the crimes. A good read from start to finish.” —Anne Hillerman, author of Rock with Wings
The Wood River Valley before it was Sun Valley!
Nellie Burns, photographer, leaves Chicago in the early 1920s to find adventure and a career in the West. She lands in Ketchum, Idaho, armed with her large format camera. After photographing moonshadows on snow, she stumbles onto a not quite deserted house and a black dog she names Moonshine. She also discovers and photographs a dead body. When the body disappears and her negatives are stolen, she joins the chase to solve the mystery and find her negatives. Rosy, a one-eyed miner, reluctantly guides her in the search. Moonshine joins in as Nellie’s guardian.
A Basque sheriff crosses words and actions with Nellie. A sheep rancher with a particular dislike of Rosy and the sheriff charges Nellie with interference. The last Chinese residents in town suspect Nellie herself of murder. Nellie’s impulsive nature brings her to a second body, a near drowning, an explosion in a darkroom, and terror in a mine.
Moonshadows is a taut and enigmatic historical mystery with passionate characters, each hiding a secret. Set against wintry small towns and back country Idaho, Nellie’s and Moonshine’s explorations reveal a web of revenge, opium addiction, obsessive love and loss, and a haunting story of devotion.
Kirkus Review: “A photographer’s aspirations take her West in the 1920s, right into a mysterious murder case. This debut mystery from Weston authentically portrays the gritty mining towns and the wild beauty of Idaho while presenting a challenging puzzle.”
Idaho Author Award for Best Cover!
Buy at your local bookstore or online at one of these locations:
Indie Bound
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
To purchase autographed and/or personalized copies of MOONSHADOWS or The Good Times Are All Gone Now: Life, Death and Rebirth in an Idaho Mining Town, please email Julie at juliewweston@gmail.com. Please send me your name and e-mail, and also indicate which book(s) you’d like and the message you’d like me to write, or indicate if you’d rather have just an autographed copy. Please include the shipping address. Before sending your order I’ll contact you with the total cost, including shipping.
Sounds great – looking forward to reading it.
Carin, the book is now out. I hope you get a chance to read it!
I just finished Moonshadows and loved it! It reminds me of the Jacqueline Winspear mysteries and the novels of Sandra Dallas. I enjoyed the spunky Nellie Burns and her sidekick dog. The story was artfully crafted. Looking forward to the next in the series!
I am a librarian in a small Wisconsin library and was provided a copy of this book by the editor for review.
Thanks for commenting Marilyn. I am so pleased you enjoyed MOONSHADOWS! Comparing me to Jaqueline Winspear and Sandra Dallas is quite a compliment. I enjoy both of those authors.
Julie – I was delighted to receive your card about your book signing in Boise! I am going to try to get there to see you but will absolutely get your book. I love a good mystery and yours has great reviews. I’m so impressed that I know a best-selling author. I’m sure that your wonderful mother is very proud of you. Susie
Hi Julie – I have lived here in Sun Valley for 14 years now,…and have always enjoyed learning about the history of the area. Which is why I totally enjoyed reading “Moonshadows”,…and why I look forward to more adventures with Nellie and Moonshine. I guess you were just here at the Community Library for a reading,…but, sadly, I missed it. I would love to introduce a potential new character to Nellie’s adventures,…who I discovered in the past weeks. His name was Thomas Tague,…and he co-owned the Comstock Mercantile soon after it was built (later known as the Lane Mercantile). Ivan Swaner was quoted by Kelly Jackson in a Wood River Journal article as follows:
“Tom Tague was one of the funniest characters you ever saw in your life.”
He is buried in the Ketchum Cemetery,…having passed in 1924. So I was thinking Nellie could cross paths with him in one of your story lines. But I don’t know how all that historical fiction writing works. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Lisa. I am glad you enjoyed MOONSHADOWS but sorry you missed my reading on August 18. Tom Teague sounds like an interesting character. Maybe he will show up one day in a later Nellie book!
Julie I absolutely loved ‘Moonshadows’. It was a great read. I could hardly put it down. And it was so fun to recognize the places in Idaho. I’m looking forward to a sequel. I detected “sparks” between Nell and the sheriff. A wonderful mystery!
Thank you Susan. Great to see you and I’m so pleased you loved MOONSHADOWS!
I really enjoyed this book, and it was so fun reading about all the places and towns where I used to live. I lived in Ketchum for 15 years and always love going back to visit.
I would love if you decide to do a sequel…want to know what Nellie and the gang will do next. Any chance of that?
Hi Susie, Yes another book about Nellie and Moonshine is in the works at Five Star Publishing. Thanks for posting a comment! I’m so pleased you enjoyed MOONSHADOWS!
Just finished MOONSHADOWS and enjoyed every moment of it. Now, I’m waiting for the next Nellie Burns and Moonshine mystery and am so excited to read that another is on it’s way. Would you please let me know when it is published because I want to buy it if my local library doesn’t offer it? Many thanks for the hours of not-to-be-missed entertainment.
Thanks for your note, Nancy! I am so pleased you enjoyed MOONSHADOWS! BASQUE MOON is released on August 16, 2016. It probably will not be in bookstores or your library until after Labor Day. If you get a chance, read the Kirkus Review under Basque Moon. That will whet your appetite!