A detective makes contact with the ghost of a Gold Rush murder victim in this unique historical mystery by a Spur Award-winning "master of his craft" (Ralph Cotton, USA Today-bestselling author).
In the Old West, murder is a way of life. But psychic detective Ophelia Wylde is dealing out her own brand of justice by talking to the victims . . . after they're dead.
Ghost In The Machine
It's one of the strangest trials in Colorado history. A "spirit photographer" is accused of fraud, and Ophelia Wylde agrees to examine the man's ghostly portraits and testify in court. In a sealed room, she is presented with five photographs. Four are obvious fakes. But one photofeaturing a powerful politician, Jackson Miles, with a sorrowful ghost in chains behind his shoulderis the real McCoy. When Ophelia makes contact, the spirit is in such agony that she's unable to learn anything but his name: Angus Wright. Intrigued, Ophelia sets out to learn more about the wronged Mr. Wright and discovers he was murdered nearly twenty years ago during the Gold Rush. The politician is somehow involved, and Ophelia has to watch her step. Because the living are much more dangerous than the dead . . .
"McCoy has a gift for capturing the Old West in all its colorful and outrageous glory." Margaret Coel, New York Times-bestselling author
"Another masterful tale by Max McCoy . . . gripping." True West on Of Grave Concern