She’s become an American sensation. But someone wants her dead. Will Annie put a bullseye on the killer before it’s too late?
Fifteen-year-old Annie Oakley is the sole supporter of her widowed mother and two younger siblings. An expert markswoman and independent spirit, she hunts game to sell to the local mercantile to make ends meet instead of accepting a marriage proposal that could solve … proposal that could solve all her problems, including the impending foreclosure of her family’s farm.
After a stunning performance in a shooting contest against famous sharpshooter Frank Butler, Annie is offered a position in the renowned Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Finally, she has a chance to save her family’s farm–and make her dreams come true. But after her catapult to fame, a series of crimes takes place in the Wild West Show, including the death of Annie’s Indian Assistant. The coroner claims the death was due to natural causes, but mysterious clues convince Annie it’s murder. As she gets closer to the truth, her prized horse, Buck–a major part of her act–is stolen, and she realizes that someone is out to get her.
With the help of a sassy, blue-blooded reporter, Annie sets out save her horse, find the killer, and clear her good name–before everything she’s worked for is destroyed.
2019 Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem First Place, Best in Category
2019 Hillerman Award for Southwest Fiction
2019 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards: First Place in the Mystery/Crime Category
2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Historical Fiction
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This book was just what I wanted it to be—an engaging page turner and a chance to learn more about an iconic American woman during a transitional time in history. Most interesting to me was how the very young Annie, just 15 and already responsible for the financial support of her mother and siblings, had to quickly reconcile her Quaker sensibilities with the realities of the performing life in a traveling Wild West show. That she had little choice but to relinquish some of those strictures in the face of her living conditions set up an unavoidable juxtaposition of what happens when a “God-given” gift of extraordinary talent requires the gifted one to put aside some of those same God’s teachings in order to share that gift with the world and sustain her family. The book also intriguingly foreshadows Annie’s later life as an advocate for women’s causes. Although the body count went a little too high for me call the story “fun” (I have a low quease threshold), it’s definitely a romp ’em-stomp ’em read and made me want to learn a lot more about Little Miss Sureshot.
Girl With a Gun gives readers everything they could ever want in a cozy mystery. Kari Bovee breathes new life into the legendary Annie Oakley. History comes to life in this lovely audiobook.
I adore the narrator, Susanna Burney. Her voice made listening to this story a great joy. I don’t know about her Irish brogue for Frank, but it is a bit endearing. Susanna used a different voice that distinguished each character from the other. Though not so much that you get pulled from the story. It was a pleasure listening to this tale.
I did find that the book went on a bit long. The narrative would work if a bit shorter. The scenes repeat a lot that makes it somewhat tedious. There were also very few clues to let the reader know who the culprit was. I didn’t even have a hunch about the culprit until the very end. That’s usually a good thing in a mystery, but it was a bit of a leap. There weren’t enough clues to point the finger in that direction.
I loved this novel. I’m excited to listen to more of the series. I award Girl With a Gun 4 out of 5 stars. History-loving readers will enjoy this book. If history means nothing to you, the cozy mystery format also works well.
I was given a copy of the Audible book with a request for an honest review.
This tale of historical fiction begins in 1883.
Ann Mosley from Greenville, Ohio is now
Annie Oakley. Annie is the star of Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show. The show is now
being performed in St Louis.
Annie is fifteen years old and the sole
supporter for her mother and two younger
siblings back in Ohio.
Annie rides her horse, Buck for her
performances.
Come join Annie in St Louis where the
reader will become acquainted with the new
people she will meet. An interesting array of
colorful, quirky, well created characters in
supporting roles. You will encounter Annie’s
Native American dresser, Chief Sitting Bull,
the Colonel, Frank Butler the aging sharp-
shooter, Lillian Smith the young sharpshooter,
Twila the herbalist, Derence LeFleur, Emma
the reporter and suffragette plus a man from
the past. In addition to Buck, you will meet
Fancy the horse of Frank Butler and Isham,
the Colonel’s horse.
Murder, poison, attempted murder make for
a well plotted story with twists and turns to
perk the readers to follow Annie on her
current adventure.
Talented writing.
A Highly Recommended Read.
I needed a break from the heavy crime I had been reading. This Make believe with some historical facts story fulfilled that need. Annie’s character interesting and thought provoking; after all she was only 15 years old.
Loved this book!
This is a must read for history buffs
I enjoyed the book. I enjoy anything that relates back to history.
Good read
I was happy to know more about Annie. Strong, upstanding lady; a role model for many of us. The historical background was entertaining.
Amazing story of a true American heroine, one of the finest sharp-shooters in history. What a life. Couldn’t be more interesting if it were fiction!
I enjoyed the historical references to Annie Oakley and to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as I read this very entertaining mystery!
If I read it, it was excellent !!!!! I READ IT. JAK,jr.
Wonderful historical fiction. Largely interesting characters. Very well written.
Absolutely loved it! Strong woman seemed historically accurate!
Wow what a great story about a strong woman. I only hope that Miss Oakley was indeed that strong. I hope to read others in the series.
Interesting story of how Annie got her name, and started in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Numerous characters, mystery occurances, and a satisfying ending made this a good read.
Hurrah for Kari Bovee! What a fun novel this is and Annie Oakley as the star character to boot! Pardon more puns, but this straight shooting book is like riding a fast paced horse. Well researched with plenty of 1885 era fine details about fashion, wild west shows and romance is highly recommended. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
The beloved Annie Oakley is the main character in this book. The author paid close attention to the historical facts while spinning a tale of intrigue, romance and the Wild West show. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot recommend it enough. I can’t wait for her to write another!
Girl with a Gun is a light historical mystery. Growing up, I always had a stack of mysteries and biographies to read from our local library. This series is a fun blend of my favorite books. While the actual mystery is not difficult to solve–the setting and characters create an entertaining novel for readers. Being from Ohio, Annie Oakley was a family favorite as a little girl. The books in this series are very loosely based on Annie Oakley and the circle surrounding her–and there are times when the author modernizes the plots a bit. Readers will find a light mystery with familiar names–but shouldn’t be too caught up in total historical accuracy.
The author creates a fast-paced, standalone mystery. As with Folly at the Fair, the author’s writing style reminds me of Nancy Drew Mysteries–or Murder She Wrote. Everything isn’t entirely believable, and the characters are superficial. However, it is still entertaining to watch the cast solve the mystery at hand and face some side stories and personal obstacles. The mystery isn’t a complicated one to solve–but it is still fun to watch the story play out with Annie and the characters. This novel, and Prequel Shoot Like a Girl, begin the series–so it is an excellent place to start! While the mysteries are standalone and Bovee does fill readers in on essential details and backstories–I always prefer to begin a series at the beginning.
Would I recommend Girl with a Gun from the Annie Oakley Mysteries by Kari Bovee? I enjoyed the story and the characters. I did feel that this book was a more fictionalized account of the life of Annie Oakley and her Wild West Show cohorts than Folly at the Fair–but it is a fun trip back in time with some well know names and places. The author’s writing style creates a simple, easy-to-read, and easy-to-follow storyline. For readers seeking a light, historical mystery–the series does not disappoint. I have not listened to the audiobook versions–but, would be interested to listen to them as well.
I received of copy of this book from the author or publisher for use in a blog review. All opinions are my own.
Great start to this series. The author fictionalized Annie as an amateur detective putting her in murder scenes she never faced in real life. While full of facts, Kari mention’s in her author’s notes that she messes with the timeline to fit the stories in this series.
If you like historical novels, cozy mysteries, or wild west stories, I think you will like them.
I was lassoed and tied to the story as Annie found her assistant dead. The plot thickens as she digs deeper for facts. She seems to be the target and faces many incidents along with her beloved horse.
My biggest reason for not giving it a five is that I’m a stickler for timelines. But I appreciate the author being upfront about it at the start of the book, and the storyline was a lot of fun. Also, the narration was excellent, leaving me feeling like I was amidst the characters.