Crown of Dust

Volmer's distinctive, beautifully written debut is set in the California gold rush country in the mid-19th century, when tensions and fortunes were as volatile as the ground prospectors mined. The story follows Emaline, proprietress of the Victoria Inn in Motherlode, who charges for providing room and board (and sometimes additional, special company) to the prospectors descending on Motherlode in search of the big find. She is captivated by a mysterious stranger, Alex, who barely speaks, keeps his hat tipped low, and is soon revealed to be a young woman runaway whose character and intentions come under close scrutiny. All the while, Emaline keeps a maternal eye on "Golden Boy" Alex as she exhaustively and successfully navigates the gold mines. Soon after Alex's gender ambiguity begins to have unexpected consequences, trouble finds Emaline because of her relationship with a black man. Volmer's prose is taut and restrained, moving the story along at a healthy clip as her hardscrabble characters rumble and stumble through their dusty domain. Volmer's found a fat vein of gold in some heavily mined territory. (Nov.)