Reporter Diana Spaulding leaves for Denver after hearing that her mother has been accused of murdering her gold-baron father in this wry historical novel. Upon arriving in the Mile-High City, Spaulding must brave opium dens, snooty Denver society, and a crafty murderer to save her mother--all against a backdrop of brothels, immigrant railroad workers, and nouveau-riche gold miners that are almost as engaging as the plot itself. Late-19th-century Denver is explored with precise historical detail as Spaulding uncovers the plot that threatens her mother's life.