Gunpowder Tea

Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley has an 18^th century setting for this Christian novel.  Miranda Hunt works for the Pinkerton Detective Agency and she has been given some minor crimes to go undercover to solve but she has never been given that big crime case.  Finally one has come along that requires a female crime fighter and she is given her big chance.  She has assumed the identity of Annie Beckman and is working undercover as the new heiress that the owner of the Last Chance Ranch has advertised.  Annie/Miranda is to solve the case of who is robbing the banks and trains in the area and the latest clues point to the robber being a worker at the Last Chance Ranch.  On the train ride out to the ranch several of the other riders turn out to be robbers of the Phantom Gang and Miranda finds herself one of the victims.  She arrives and works herself out to the Last Chance only to find that the cantankerous owner, Eleanor Walker, is not at home and since she really needs to answer nature’s call.   Annie walks on in the house and uses the bathroom.  Unfortunately afterwards when she is leaving she finds out that Eunice is at home startles the elderly lady and Mrs. Walker falls down the stairs breaking her leg.  Miranda, aka Annie, finds herself Eunice’s nursemaid as well as learns about how to run a ranch.  Annie and Eunice learn how to work together after a fashion while Annie works the case.  Annie finds that one of the robbers is a worker on the ranch and works to find clues who the leader of the gang is as she finds herself drawn to the robber, Jeremy Taggart.  He says that he is working undercover also but Annie isn’t so sure.

I liked this book.  It is a story of a strong Christian woman working to find a way of life on her own especially 100 years ago.  This novel shows that with tenacity working in a so called man’s field is possible even without giving up feminity.  Anna is a pure woman but she has a tough side that works in her chosen field.  She learns to trust in God’s choices for her as she also learns to trust her own choices.  One of the comments I had on this book is that it states that you can tell what God’s wishes are for you by the pure joy you have when doing it.  I like that.  I like that this book expresses that God wants us to have joy in our life when we make good choices.  God the father wants happiness and joy for His children and we only have to desire His wishes in order to have that joy.  We serve a mighty and loving God, do we not?

This book was provided by Booksneeze for this review.