The La Chance Mine Mystery

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27209

Title

The La Chance Mine Mystery

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Set in the rugged Canadian bush, this mystery follows Nick Stretton, a weary road builder returning to his gold mine at La Chance. Haunted by wolves and a past filled with secrets, he uncovers a web of deceit involving a treacherous superintendent, a stolen necklace, and a gang of outlaws. As the truth about the mine's fortune and the identities of the dead emerges, Stretton must protect his love and the mine from a secret villain who has been manipulating...

Summary up to 500 words

In Susan Morrow Jones's *The La Chance Mine Mystery*, Nick Stretton returns to the remote La Chance gold mine after months of road-building, only to find his team missing and the atmosphere thick with tension. His employer, Dudley Wilbraham, acts strangely, while a woman named Paulette Brown claims to be meeting a dangerous man named Dick Hutton. Stretton soon discovers that Paulette has been shot at in the swamp and that a gang of outlaws is threatening the mine. As he investigates, he learns that the mine's superintendent, Thompson, and others have been killed or disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Stretton realizes the local settlement, Skunk's Misery, hides a secret den where the outlaws are camped. The narrative reveals that Paulette is actually Tatiana Paulina Valenka, a woman from New York, and that the mine's fortune is tied to a necklace stolen by a man named Macartney, who has been posing as an ally while plotting against everyone. The climax occurs when Macartney confronts Stretton and Paulette, claiming he stole the emeralds to trap them. However, the truth is revealed: Macartney is the 'secret wolf' who has been poisoning the area with wolf bait and framing others. Just as Macartney prepares to shoot Stretton, Dudley Wilbraham appears alive, having survived his presumed death. Macartney collapses from shock and dies, revealing the emeralds were never stolen by him. The story concludes with the resolution of the mine's fate, the safety of the women involved, and Stretton finding his place with his dream girl, Paulette, amidst the harsh but beautiful wilderness.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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data/epubs/pg27209.epub

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Categories

• Fiction
• Mystery