Inez Stannert first appeared in Silver Lies and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Inez.

What is your name?
Most know me as Inez Stannert. My full name, known only to close family, is Inez Marie Underwood Stannert.

How old are you?
Given that 1881 is nearly over, I am, shall we say, in my mid-thirties and let it go at that.

What is your profession?
At present, I am co-owner of the D & S House of Music and Curiosities in San Francisco, California. In addition to running the store, I teach piano to a select few. I have also found a niche providing financial assistance to local women-run businesses. Some require simple loans, while I form partnerships with others. Although I normally keep my public performances at the keyboard to a minimum, I recently signed a contract to be the piano accompanist to opera singer Theia Carrington Drake through the holiday season. I suppose I should mention I am still part-owner of the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, Colorado, and have a business partnership with Mrs. Florence Sweet who runs several “parlor house” establishments of dubious morality and wide acclaim. . . but probably the less said about those Colorado endeavors, the better. Few in San Francisco know about that part of my life.

Do you have a significant other?
Hmmmm. “Significant other” is an appellation I have not encountered before. If you are asking if I have a paramour, I suppose the answer is yes, although we have not been together in over a year. I should add that I am a grass widow, that is, a divorcee. Before you raise your eyebrows at me, please keep in mind that several years ago my oh-so-charming, now-former husband Mark Stannert simply disappeared. Months passed without any word of his whereabouts, so I finally instituted divorce proceedings. I tell you this so you will understand that I am not the sort of woman who, like Mrs. Sweet and her ilk, engages in casual liaisons at the drop of a hat. However, I can and do appreciate a well-turned-out gentleman, when the opportunity arises.

What is his/her name and profession?
Reverend J. B. Sands is a man of the cloth. Like myself, he has a past that does not bear close scrutiny. His current work as an interim minister takes him throughout the West. We continue to correspond, with the hope that our divergent paths will eventually converge again in the future.

Any children?
I have a young son, three years old now, William Stannert. He was born with weak lungs and in delicate health, unsuited to the hard life in a mining town in the West. I made the difficult decision to send him back East, where he thrives under the care of my sister Harmony and her husband. To be honest, they are much better parents to him than I could possibly be. Which is ironic to say the least, because shortly before leaving Leadville in November of 1880, I became guardian of an eleven-year-old orphaned girl, Antonia Gizzi, whose mother met a most dreadful end. But that is another story (which is fully explained in What Gold Buys).

Do you have any siblings?
One sister, ten years younger, Harmony Elizabeth Underwood DuChamps.

Do your parents live near you?
Perish the thought! They live back East, in New York City. I have not seen them in nearly 12 years now, since I eloped with Mark Stannert and my father disowned me.

Who is your best friend?
Ah, if this were Colorado, I could answer immediately: photographer Susan Carothers, who has a photographic studio in Leadville. She remains a very dear friend, and we write each other regularly. In San Francisco, Carmella Donato, sister of the original owner of the D & S music store, is perhaps the closest I have to a bosom companion, although I think of her more as an impulsive younger sibling. In any case, I have not shared details of my past with her.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
None. Although ever since my ward Antonia met prima donna Theia Carrington Drake and her pet bird Aria, she has been pestering me for a songbird. I have resisted but am concerned that she may turn her powers of persuasion upon Carmella, who is much more likely to give in to her entreaties.

What town do you live in?
Antonia and I live in San Francisco, the “Paris of the West,” on the corner of Pine and Kearney, which lies between the business district and Chinatown. San Francisco may not have Leadville’s mountain views and spring wild-flower displays, but it has the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Park. For viewing the comings and goings of its inhabitants and visitors, one need only turn to, for instance, the Palace Hotel, Woodward’s Gardens, Chinatown, the docks, and the Barbary Coast. The city is a kaleidoscope of activity and humanity.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Antonia and I live in a set of apartments above the music store. The rooms are adequate for our use. When we first came to San Francisco and I accepted a position at the music store, the then-owner offered up the second-floor living quarters, gratis. How could I say no to rent-free lodgings? Although, perhaps I should have, considering what happened there later. (A Dying Note details that particularly calamitous series of events.)

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I spend very little time in the upstairs rooms. If I could broaden your question to include the music store downstairs, I would say my private office in the back. A desk, a comfortable chair, a parlor stove, and a piano nearby, should I require a little time to myself to muse and play.

Favorite meal and dessert?
San Francisco’s Cliff House offers a wonderful repast, including a lovely clam chowder and excellent fried oysters, served up with a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. I will admit I often long for the Silver Queen’s stew and biscuits, which were the specialty of our cook Bridgette, from my Leadville days. As for dessert, a fine brandy and coffee is my preference over sweets.

Favorite hobby?
Music, particularly playing the piano, has always been my passion, although in San Francisco that activity has become more vocation than avocation. In one of life’s interesting twists, engaging in games of chance, specifically poker, has turned from a profession to more of a dalliance. Nowadays, poker is more of an excuse to gather with some of the local musicians on Monday evenings in the back of the store, and exchange news and gossip. As for the game itself, it’s just a penny here, a penny there. Small stakes to me, particularly when you consider the fortunes that were regularly won and lost at the Silver Queen Saloon. Still the penny ante games yield interesting information on occasion, and the musicians themselves are an entertaining crowd. In Leadville, when weather allowed, I would take my horse Lucy and ride out along the Arkansas River, which provides magnificent views of the mountains, or down the Boulevard to Soda Springs, a favorite picnicking spot during the summer. (Although one particular church picnic there took a wretched turn for me in Iron Ties.) Lucy, alas, remains in Leadville, under the care of friends. San Francisco is no place for her.

Favorite color?
I rather fancy green, which complements my olive complexion and hazel eyes. Too, green is the color of money, and just as with many others in this fair city of the far West, I am rather fond of so-called “filthy lucre” and the financial security and freedom it can provide.

Favorite author?
Ah, so many to choose from. But if I can only choose one, I would say the Bard of Avon. Shakespeare has much to say about life’s condition, no matter what the era.

Favorite vacation spot?
Who has time to go on holiday? Of course, growing up, it was a different story. My family was unrepentantly wealthy and our station in life quite elevated. During the heat of summer, we would vacate the home in New York City for a more congenial abode by the ocean. During those holidays, the reins of discipline were loosened, and I and my sister had more freedom to roam. Those times remain the only pleasant childhood memories I can muster.

When I lived in Leadville, my friend Susan Carothers and I did venture to Colorado’s Manitou, which is renowned for its health spas and the awe-inspiring rock formations at the Garden of the Gods. (You can find out how that trip turned out in Mercury’s Rise.) Here in San Francisco, Antonia and I enjoy occasional Sunday excursions to the Cliff House and its nearby beach, but one must be careful of the treacherous waves when strolling along the sand.

Favorite sports team?
Well, I am not much for team sports. However, I do enjoy a good horse race. Particularly if I have placed a wager to win.

Movies or live theater?
I have no idea what a “movie” is, but San Francisco is rife with live theater, opera, and variety shows of all kinds, and I, like many other San Franciscans, attend regularly. Mrs. Drake, for instance, gave a magnificent performance at the Grand Opera House to a sold-out crowd. . . and the Grand holds two thousand souls!

Are you a morning or a night person?
Oh night, there is no doubt about it. However, the bells from all the nearby churches set up a clamor at six in the morning, so between that and the music store and my other business activities, I have perforce been burning the candle at both ends.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
When it comes to unraveling all the murders and mysterious doings that seem to hound me, I am strictly on an amateur footing. I engage because I must. It’s purely a matter of loyalty and a desire to see justice done, on my part. Lately, I have been working in tandem with Mr. Wolter Roeland de Bruijn, whose business card states he is a “Finder of the Lost.” But let us be frank: he is a private detective. Our relationship is strictly business, but I will admit to finding him elusive and rather intriguing.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
A typical day begins at the unholy hour of six in the morning, when the bells of nearby houses of worship begin to peal. Antonia and I rise and break our fasts. Then she is off to school and I retire with a cup of strong coffee to my office in the music store to deal with paperwork. I also must make time to nurture my own investments and meet with the women who appear at the back door seeking help, usually—but not always—of a monetary nature. My students arrive in the afternoon, about the time Antonia returns from school—that is, assuming she comes straight home and doesn’t get into some scrape or adventure along the way. Antonia and I have our evening meal at Mrs. Nolan’s boardinghouse, after which we return to our quarters above the store.

However typical days are in short supply right now. Thank goodness for Thomas Welles, a well-regarded local musician I hired to manage the store’s day-to-day activities, and John Hee, who is our expert regarding “Oriental curiosities.” No sooner had I signed a contract with Mr. Drake to become his wife’s accompanist than havoc ensued, starting with the mysterious death of Theia’s beloved pet bird. Even Mr. de Bruijn is being pulled into the maelstrom surrounding the Drakes. I fear I shall not have much time for the store until this storm blows over.

Giveaway: Ann is giving away one (1) print copy of Mortal Music, limited to U.S. residents. Leave a comment below for your chance to win. Contest ends February 3, 2020. Good luck everyone!

Mortal Music is the seventh book in the “Silver Rush” historical mystery series, released January 27, 2020.

In this new adventure in the award-winning Silver Rush mystery series, pianist Inez Stannert must track down a murderer before he silences a famous vocalist―forever. . .

All Inez Stannert wants for Christmas is for the struggling music store she owns in San Francisco to be a success. When diva Theia Carrington Drake asks Inez to be her accompanist for several high-profile personal appearances, Inez is thrilled. This is the chance she was waiting for―a way to make some extra money and bring her store into the limelight of the city’s polite society to enhance her business.

But things are far from pitch perfect. An unknown threat is stalking Theia; her pet bird is found slain, and her signature gown is destroyed. Soon, Inez realizes that a murderer is stalking the city’s opera halls, and that it’s only a matter of time before Theia is his next victim. She’ll have to enlist the help of private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn and uncover the killer before Theia’s celebrated voice is silenced―permanently.

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About the author
Ann Parker is the author of the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series set in the 1880s silver boomtown Leadville, Colorado, and in the “Paris of the West,” San Francisco, California. The series features saloon owner turned music store owner Inez Stannert. A science writer by day, Ann lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Women Writing the West. Visit her online at annparker.net.

All comments are welcomed.