At 33, Parker Simms had little use for "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." A veteran of the Great War turned New York City private detective, he knew that a children's tale couldn't prepare him for Europe's brutal battlefields or the devious characters he'd encounter on the gritty streets of the city.
But it would be a story within that story that would test Simms' rookie detective skills, plunging him into a treacherous world of deceit, vengeance, and murder. In the summer of 1928, a twist of fate dragged Simms back to his roots in western South Dakota, courtesy of a voluntary leave of absence. His connection to the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal had brought unwelcome national attention to the William J. Burns Detective Agency, forcing him to seek refuge from the roaring twenties' frenzy.
What started as a respite quickly transformed into a heart-pounding cat-and-mouse game with a sadistic, yet cunning, killer amidst the rugged landscape of the Black Hills. Simms reluctantly agrees to assist Dwayne McDonough, a desperate local silver mining tycoon, whose associates are being ruthlessly murdered. The twist? The killer weaves a sinister thread to the beloved children's book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," challenging Simms to delve into the story's hidden depths.
Joined by Sandra Groves, a former flame turned schoolteacher, and her fiancé, the young college history professor Archie Yeager, Simms embarks on a relentless pursuit of clues. Their quest unravels a darker side of 1920s society within the Black Hills, exposing extortion, nativism, prejudice, and racism. With each revelation, the list of suspects grows, casting suspicion upon local law enforcement, Klansmen, indigenous Lakota people, and even the very individuals targeted by the killer.
In this gripping historical mystery, Simms must navigate a perilous labyrinth of secrets, lies, and deadly consequences, where the line between fiction and reality blurs, and the true monsters wear masks of deceit.
