Cole and Hitch #11: Robert B. Parker's Opium Rose

- Blurb -

Lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch must quell a brewing showdown in the latest installment in the New York Times bestselling series. Marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch haven' t seen much trouble of late. Fact is, burgeoning Appaloosa and the territory had been without incident for months. But with recent reports of village raids, coupled with the arrival of a young widow from San Francisco, the lawmen are about to be put to the test. Rose McMaster, the feisty daughter of Virgil' s half-brother, ushers in a whole new unsuspected brand of trouble. Just prior to the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Rose' s husband, Frank, finds himself in hot water. He is a young and successful attorney representing a large Chinese conglomerate. But as his business problems escalate, he' s found dead--an apparent suicide. But just as Rose is moving on, she receives a visit from a Chinese associate and friend of her late husband' s who advises her to depart San Francisco immediately. No sooner does Rose step off the train in Appaloosa than trouble arises. A man from her journey is found dead, putting Virgil and Everett on a path to unravel his identity and curious connection to Rose. As danger intensifies with the militia-like raiders that have a score to settle with Virgil, the two lawmen learn of Frank' s involvement in a large-scale opium operation. And they soon deduce that he likely embezzled a large amount of money belonging to the Chinese, who now believe Rose holds the key to the loot' s whereabouts. . .