From humble beginnings in rural Ohio, Annie becomes a household name when at fifteen she competes in a shooting competition against the renowned marksman Frank Butler. After the event, Colonel Cody, also knows as Buffalo Bill, asks Annie to join the Wild West Show. She is reluctant to leave her family, but is offered a generous salary to help support her family, and Annie Oakley becomes the new star of the travelling Wild West Show.
Along with her beloved horse Buck, Annie settles into the travelling troupe lifestyle and immediately befriends her tent-mate Kimi and her infant daughter Winona. When Kimi is found dead soon after, Annie suspects it wasn’t some tragic accident and begins investigating the matter herself when no one else will. As she investigates, her horse Buck and others around the camp fall ill, and it seems like someone is trying to hurt Annie and her standing in the show. Can she figure out what happened to Kimi and who wants Annie gone before someone else gets hurt?
Kavi Bovee’s Girl with a Gun brings readers right into its historical setting. The name Annie Oakley is recognizable to even the casual American history buff, and all will appreciate the pieces of history sprinkled throughout the story. It should be noted that while Girl with a Gun is based on history, it is still very much a work of fiction. The real-life facts and chronology of Annie’s life are changed or moved around for the sake of the plot. Historical fiction is a genre that has an infinite number of possibilities and Kavi Bovee adds to the genre with a fun mystery series that reimagines a life of a talented young woman.
Bovee does an excellent job setting the scene from the beginning, introducing Annie has a loveable and relatable character with depth. The historical setting is aided further by the addition of fictional news headlines that reflect the events of the story. These headlines add flavor to the drama and underlining mystery the characters face and reflect the public’s opinion of the conflicts within the travelling Wild West Show.
The defining strength of Girl with a Gun is the characterization of Annie. She cares deeply for her family and friends and readers will root for her as she strives to protect those she cares about. Regardless of how historically accurate the character version of Annie is to the real-life Annie, readers will get wrapped up in the trials and tribulations she faces at every turn, including a whirlwind romance.
Kavi Bovee’s Girl with a Gun: An Annie Oakley Mystery is the first of a trilogy of mysteries based on the exciting life of a prolific female sharpshooter. It is a fantastic read for the casual mystery fan and historical fiction reader.
Published version