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    Robbing the Pillars: The Empire Barons, #1
    Ebook series1 title

    The Empire Barons Series

    By Kalen Vaughan Johnson

    ()

    About this series

    Oppression brings out the best in some men . . .

    In an escalating crusade, James MacLaren fights to unmask the syndicate bent on destruction of local mining towns. He is drawn into a treacherous battle of bribery, domination, and a scale of justice tilted decidedly against friends and neighbors.

    Distracted by the fate of the miners, James suffers the absence of surrogate son Justin and loses sight of Charlotte's objectionable romance. Justin lands squarely in the path of conflict, and Charlotte's headstrong ways trigger James's contempt for the rich . . . pitting father against daughter.

    Casualties of gold and greed lie strewn across the landscape of San Francisco, Sacramento, and the mining towns of Sierra Nevada. Who survives the Raid of Souls?

    "Raid of Souls, the second entry in Kalen Vaughan Johnson's the Empire Barons, proves she has what it takes to carry a story. With an amazingly diverse cast of characters – good and bad, rich and poor – Johnson pulls the reader along as she explores the early years of California statehood, its dependence on mining to finance what was even then the California Dream, and the men and women who manipulated the levers behind the scenes. Raid of Souls smoothly picks up the tread of her first novel, Robbing the Pillars, and gives hope there will be a third." MICHAEL ZIMMER – Wrangler Award-winning Author of, The Poacher's Daughter

    "Reflective of real life . . . a slow-burnng story of good vs. evil and all the shades of gray that exist between the two." MANHATTAN BOOK REVIEW

    "Johnson weaves a luminous tapestry of these times with colorful, well-researched historical threads as the background to tell and engaging love story . . . this second book in a trilogy has a pace and rhythm that make it hard to put down." W. MICHAEL FARMER, Award winning Author

    "An incredible job of balancing historical detail with great story-telling. The book does what historical fiction should: immersing you in a world that educates and entertains, with similarities easily equitable to today's world." PORTLAND BOOK REVIEW

    "Johnson's portrayal of James's persona was more than a brilliantly written character alive with tumultuous hurdles to overcome. He was a solid depiction of a rugged American man with a heart for justice, a soul riddled with pain and a mind with a penchant for justice." SEATTLE BOOK REVIEW

    "This is historical writing at its best." HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

    "Kalen Vaughan Johnson writes with legitimacy supported by her extensive knowledge and research. Her familiarity with mining jargon, and her attention to the details regarding manners and customs of the era, have lent to her story an authenticity that other writers struggle – and often fail – to find.  . . .  She has proven herself up to the task of standing toe-to-toe with any other writer in the genre and delivering a finely crafted story. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series"

    "Really enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns of this book. A well thought out story. History is quietly woven into the backdrop and provides interesting looks into lives of the times. The characters are fun to get to know and their development is well done."

    "This book has the perfect combination of strong characters and a gripping plot with the added bonus of a well-researched history of California in the 1860's . . . This book is an entertaining and significant novel exploring individual responses to growth and progress and personal responsibility when faced with conflicting American values." ONLINE READER REVIEWS

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFive Star Publishing
    Release dateFeb 22, 2017
    Robbing the Pillars: The Empire Barons, #1

    Titles in the series (1)

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      Robbing the Pillars: The Empire Barons, #1
      Robbing the Pillars: The Empire Barons, #1

      Robbing the Pillars: The Empire Barons, #1

      Kalen Vaughan Johnson
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      Gold Rush California's notorious Legislature of a Thousand Drinks launches a secret consortium of frontier barons, triggering the collapse of independent mines throughout Sierra Nevada. James MacLaren, a fugitive from Scotland, embarks on a new life in the California Gold Rush. He is a man always on his guard, leery of the entitled but wary of his own temper. While raising a headstrong daughter and denying his love for a woman he cannot have, he champions miners in their fight against the Coleridge Sierra speculators seeking to create a mining industry monopoly. San Francisco's Judge Dandridge sees himself as a man of vision. But when justice fails in his courtroom, retribution can be extracted by other means. His venal and mercenary machinations tie him to the powerful Sam Brannan, the Chinese Tong, and even the governorship of California. Robbing the Pillars is a story of the working class fighting for legitimacy against the power of gold and those it seduces -- a tale of hidden pasts, love and betrayal, and the fulfillment of dreams against incredible odds. Robbing the Pillars is the first book in the Empire Baron series. "This is a powerful, American melodrama with strong, fearless characters willing to endure anything to realize their dream of striking it rich in California's Gold Rush country in the 1860's. In Robbing the Pillars, author Kalen Vaughan Johnson introduces readers to a gritty but admirable fugitive who has escaped Scotland to start life anew in the Sierra foothills. On the other side of that lofty goal are political figures in San Francisco seeking to rid the land of independent miners and seize their riches . . . Vaughan Johnson's prose is bold and the story she tells is compelling." TRUE WEST MAGAZINE – Chris Enss, New York Times Best Selling author "Johnson not only gives us a fascinating portrait of a man determined to carve out a life for himself despite every obstacle, but she also presents a richly detailed vision of part of America's past. The characters aren't merely historical figures who move stiffly across the pages; they are living, breathing people filled with joy, hope, and despair . . . For me, the Gold Rush was pretty abstract until I read Robbing the Pillars." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW "A sweeping look at personal idealism and autonomy pitted against the forces of greed and manipulation, Robbing the Pillars is an emotive family saga solidly rooted in the American dream . . . Author Kalen Vaughan Johnson has created a large canvas; her knowledge of the region – its history, the mix of cultures. . . highlights her obvious talent for creating richly detailed historical fiction . . . Johnson depicts with equal verve and realism the lives of the rich, the wannabes, and those at the bottom struggling upward." CHANTICLEER REVIEWS "Her carefully crafted characters walk the fine line of hero and villain. She describes the time period in detail but is not superfluous. It truly gives the feeling that the reader is in the story." "I found Robbing the Pillars to be an entrancing read. Here's why:  The story dances back and forth between characters, allowing readers the ability to understand how events affected people in different professions and class levels. Ms. Johnson takes the time to show the symbiotic relationship between them all, and how the prosperity and dilemmas of one group affected others. Her writing is eloquent and beautiful, her descriptions poetic splashes that add a brilliance to the descriptions of the land and its inhabitants and is reason enough for readers to return for more." "It's a wonderful historical, suspenseful, enlightening and enthralling book. It is the first in a series that I'm sure will be a big hit." READER REVIEWS

      Gold Rush California's notorious Legislature of a Thousand Drinks launches a secret consortium of frontier barons, triggering the collapse of independent mines throughout Sierra Nevada. James MacLaren, a fugitive from Scotland, embarks on a new life in the California Gold Rush. He is a man always on his guard, leery of the entitled but wary of his own temper. While raising a headstrong daughter and denying his love for a woman he cannot have, he champions miners in their fight against the Coleridge Sierra speculators seeking to create a mining industry monopoly. San Francisco's Judge Dandridge sees himself as a man of vision. But when justice fails in his courtroom, retribution can be extracted by other means. His venal and mercenary machinations tie him to the powerful Sam Brannan, the Chinese Tong, and even the governorship of California. Robbing the Pillars is a story of the working class fighting for legitimacy against the power of gold and those it seduces -- a tale of hidden pasts, love and betrayal, and the fulfillment of dreams against incredible odds. Robbing the Pillars is the first book in the Empire Baron series. "This is a powerful, American melodrama with strong, fearless characters willing to endure anything to realize their dream of striking it rich in California's Gold Rush country in the 1860's. In Robbing the Pillars, author Kalen Vaughan Johnson introduces readers to a gritty but admirable fugitive who has escaped Scotland to start life anew in the Sierra foothills. On the other side of that lofty goal are political figures in San Francisco seeking to rid the land of independent miners and seize their riches . . . Vaughan Johnson's prose is bold and the story she tells is compelling." TRUE WEST MAGAZINE – Chris Enss, New York Times Best Selling author "Johnson not only gives us a fascinating portrait of a man determined to carve out a life for himself despite every obstacle, but she also presents a richly detailed vision of part of America's past. The characters aren't merely historical figures who move stiffly across the pages; they are living, breathing people filled with joy, hope, and despair . . . For me, the Gold Rush was pretty abstract until I read Robbing the Pillars." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW "A sweeping look at personal idealism and autonomy pitted against the forces of greed and manipulation, Robbing the Pillars is an emotive family saga solidly rooted in the American dream . . . Author Kalen Vaughan Johnson has created a large canvas; her knowledge of the region – its history, the mix of cultures. . . highlights her obvious talent for creating richly detailed historical fiction . . . Johnson depicts with equal verve and realism the lives of the rich, the wannabes, and those at the bottom struggling upward." CHANTICLEER REVIEWS "Her carefully crafted characters walk the fine line of hero and villain. She describes the time period in detail but is not superfluous. It truly gives the feeling that the reader is in the story." "I found Robbing the Pillars to be an entrancing read. Here's why:  The story dances back and forth between characters, allowing readers the ability to understand how events affected people in different professions and class levels. Ms. Johnson takes the time to show the symbiotic relationship between them all, and how the prosperity and dilemmas of one group affected others. Her writing is eloquent and beautiful, her descriptions poetic splashes that add a brilliance to the descriptions of the land and its inhabitants and is reason enough for readers to return for more." "It's a wonderful historical, suspenseful, enlightening and enthralling book. It is the first in a series that I'm sure will be a big hit." READER REVIEWS

    Author

    Kalen Vaughan Johnson

    KALEN VAUGHAN JOHNSON, author of Robbing the Pillars and Raid of Souls, lives and writes historical fiction in Raleigh, North Carolina. Graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in mass media, she worked in television for eight years. Together with her husband, Gary, she has raised three children on the move in Tokyo, Chicago, Sydney, and New York before returning to her southern roots. Kalen is passionate about her characters, historical research, travel, cooking, her dogs, and especially her grandchildren.

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