Book Two in the Empire Barons Series
By Kalen Vaughan Johnson
Published by Five Star Publishing
Release Date July 21, 2021
“As a new writer, Kalen Vaughan Johnson has proven herself up to the task of standing toe-to-toe with any other writer in the genre and delivering a finely crafted story.”
Raid of Souls is the second installment in Kalen Vaughan Johnson’s Empire Barons series – a multi-generational, epic tale of greed and gold set in the early days of California. The first book in the series, Robbing the Pillars, introduces us to the main cast of characters – an assortment of men and women, all drawn to the rich Sacramento Valley and Cascade Mountains of California. Some are there for the gold. Others are there for the land. Some are hoping to strike it rich, while others are simply motivated by the desire to provide for their families and build something for the future.
The book centers around James MacLaren, a Scottish immigrant. Hot-tempered, James has an acute personal bias against social inequities and class distinctions which led him to flee from his native homeland and settle in California.
When James becomes aware of plans by a ruthless group of rich and powerful speculators to gain control of all of the independent mines, he comes to the aid of the miners who have been driven off of their claims and have been forced to seek employment with the merciless consortium of speculators. James would like nothing more than to spend his time on his ranch, where he breeds and trains some of the finest horses in California. But his background in mining, and his empathy toward the men working in the Empire mine, lead him and his partner, Sean Miller, to organize the miners into a union.
Anticipating trouble, James sends his daughter, Charlotte, to Sacramento. When trouble erupts between the miners and the barons who are in control of the mining interests, as well as the business and politics in California, violence ensues and blood is shed. Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Charlotte, who is dealing with all of the coming-of-age issues that a young woman in the 1870s must deal with, may be headed into a relationship with the very people her father is struggling against.
Kalen Vaughan Johnson writes with legitimacy supported by her extensive knowledge and research. Her familiarity with mining techniques and jargon, and her attention to the details regarding the manners and customs of the era, have lent to her story an authenticity that other writers struggle – and often fail – to find. As a new writer, Kalen Vaughan Johnson has proven herself up to the task of standing toe-to-toe with any other writer in the genre and delivering a finely crafted story. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series.
ABOUT:
Kalen Vaughan Johnson is a historical fiction writer living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a BA in mass media and worked in television for eight years. Together with her husband Gary, she has raised three children on the move in Tokyo, Chicago, Sydney, and New York before returning to her southern roots.