Chancy

About the Book

It is 1867 and the first sparks from the industrial revolution are igniting the country. In Royce, Nevada, the frontier is giving way to civilization. Royce is a town where bankers dream of mining monopolies, while miners sweat by candlelight to wrest silver ore from the bowels of the Earth.

The cast of characters include:

Zebadiah Chancellor - Known to his friends as Chancy, Zebadiah came through the Civil War only to find himself shut out of the familys banking business. Hearing that his long lost sister, Amaryllis, is in Royce, Chancy decides to head West and start a new life for himself.

Amaryllis Jamieson  - After her husband is gunned down in a poker game, Amaryllis finds there are no jobs for a respectable woman in this rough and tumble mining town. Facing starvation, she decides to become the notorious Renee Dubois, madam of Amour House.

Kerry McBride - Kerry is a gambler who, blessed with the gift of blarney, inherits the Irish Mist after its owner is shot over a minor misunderstanding.

Fred Berniker - The most influential man in Royce, Fred controls the Royce branch of the  First Federal Bank of San Francisco. He is also a major shareholder and the driving force behind Royces richest mine, the Valhalla.

Collin Pengilly - Along with his childhood friend, Cadel Teague, Collin works  deep in the mines. As a team, they encounter suffocating fumes, stifling heat and the constant threat of death or maiming.

Daisy Lincoln - A beautiful ex-slave with a secret past, Daisy married Amos Lincoln, a colored blacksmith, because it seemed like her best possible option in this less than perfect world.

Jesse Sutler - When a bushwhacking  goes badly awry, Jesse, an outlaw riding with the Bracken Gang , finds himself suddenly thrust into the role of boss man.

Against a backdrop of con men, gamblers, madams, Sunday sermons, stone cold murder, and arson, they all scramble for their share of Royces fabulous wealth.

About the Author

Charles Sanford was born and raised in New York City. His first professional writing job was for the T.V. quiz show, “Blankety Blanks”. In the 1980's, he got involved in designing and writing the text for educational computer games. In 1983, his game, “Murder by the Dozen”, sold more than 100,000 copies. The sequel, “Felony” (1984), also made the Billboard list of top ten computer games. In 1988, “Police Blotter” garnered excellent reviews, particularly for its writing. The Washington Times said, “Police Blotter . . . defines the genre of computer mystery fiction." Game Magazine picked it as one of its top five games of the year. Charles Sanford currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, Adrienne, two college aged children, Elana and Scott, and the family dog, Kato.