Robbing the Pillars

Gold Rush California's notorious Legislature of a Thousand Drinks launches a secret consortium of frontier barons, triggering the collapse of independent mines throughout Sierra Nevada. James MacLaren, a fugitive from Scotland, embarks on a new life in the California Gold Rush. He is a man always on his guard, leery of the entitled but wary of his own temper. While raising a headstrong daughter and denying his love for a woman he cannot have, he champions miners in their fight against the Coleridge Sierra speculators seeking to create a mining industry monopoly. San Francisco's Judge Dandridge sees himself as a man of vision. But when justice fails in his courtroom, retribution can be extracted by other means. His venal and mercenary machinations tie him to the powerful Sam Brannan, the Chinese Tong, and even the governorship of California. Robbing the Pillars is a story of the working class fighting for legitimacy against the power of gold and those it seduces -- a tale of hidden pasts, love and betrayal, and the fulfillment of dreams against incredible odds. Robbing the Pillars is the first book in the Empire Baron series. "This is a powerful, American melodrama with strong, fearless characters willing to endure anything to realize their dream of striking it rich in California's Gold Rush country in the 1860's. In Robbing the Pillars, author Kalen Vaughan Johnson introduces readers to a gritty but admirable fugitive who has escaped Scotland to start life anew in the Sierra foothills. On the other side of that lofty goal are political figures in San Francisco seeking to rid the land of independent miners and seize their riches . . . Vaughan Johnson's prose is bold and the story she tells is compelling. " TRUE WEST MAGAZINE – Chris Enss, New York Times Best Selling author "Johnson not only gives us a fascinating portrait of a man determined to carve out a life for himself despite every obstacle, but she also presents a richly detailed vision of part of America's past. The characters aren't merely historical figures who move stiffly across the pages; they are living, breathing people filled with joy, hope, and despair . . . For me, the Gold Rush was pretty abstract until I read Robbing the Pillars." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW "A sweeping look at personal idealism and autonomy pitted against the forces of greed and manipulation, Robbing the Pillars is an emotive family saga solidly rooted in the American dream . . . Author Kalen Vaughan Johnson has created a large canvas; her knowledge of the region – its history, the mix of cultures. . . highlights her obvious talent for creating richly detailed historical fiction . . . Johnson depicts with equal verve and realism the lives of the rich, the wannabes, and those at the bottom struggling upward." CHANTICLEER REVIEWS "Her carefully crafted characters walk the fine line of hero and villain. She describes the time period in detail but is not superfluous. It truly gives the feeling that the reader is in the story." "I found Robbing the Pillars to be an entrancing read. Here's why: The story dances back and forth between characters, allowing readers the ability to understand how events affected people in different professions and class levels. Ms. Johnson takes the time to show the symbiotic relationship between them all, and how the prosperity and dilemmas of one group affected others. Her writing is eloquent and beautiful, her descriptions poetic splashes that add a brilliance to the descriptions of the land and its inhabitants and is reason enough for readers to return for more." "It's a wonderful historical, suspenseful, enlightening and enthralling book. It is the first in a series that I'm sure will be a big hit." READ