Dana Hand

Deep Creek by Dana Hand is actually the first novel by non-fiction historians Will Howarth and Anne Matthews. Based on a real life crime, this book tells the story of how a small town judge and his young daughter discover the murdered and mutilated body of a Chinese miner. This was just the first of over thirty bodies of Chinese miners that were brutally murdered and discarded. Some washed down the Snake River that borders Oregon, Idaho and Washington while many others were found at their camp up the river in the remote Hell’s Canyon. These miners had been sent to Deep Creek by the Sam Yup Company of San Francisco, a large Chinese labor exchange company.

Soon the judge, along with two others, travel up the river to investigate. Along with the judge is Lee Loi, an ambitious young company investigator and Grace Sundown, who is along as their tracker. Very quickly they come to understand who did the murders, but as they deepen their investigation into why this happened, they uncover a land-grabbing conspiracy that involves some of the most prominent members of Lewiston, including members of the judge’s own family. Even when some of the murderers are brought to trial the locals neither cared enough about the Chinese victims or the horrible way they were killed. The accused were acquitted.

I found Deep Creek to be a gripping historical novel that made for a compelling and challenging read. Although in real life no one was ever charged with this mass murder, the authors have delivered a complex, interesting story that serves to illuminate many of the prejudices and deeply rooted racism that the Chinese faced when they came to America seeking a new way of life.… (altro)

Best novel of the West I've read since Angle of Repose, and a great job of making the past feel immediate. Because it is based on real events (the massacre of over 30 Chinese gold miners in 1887) the way the historical material is woven in is most intriguing. As far as I can tell, even the smallest details of place and time are on target, which is what makes the imagined parts so persuasive. The authors write very well, and never preach or push an agenda, just show you what it must have been like for all involved. Their various fates mattered a lot to me by the end of the book. The long love story of Joe and Grace is exceptional, and so is Lee's journey to manhood. Villains: lots of them, and damn scary. Also scary: the way many of the prejudices of 1887 are still out there, thriving.… (altro)