The series follows a young Kali McAlister around. She is an inventor and mechanic extraordinaire. Her late father held the secret to making flashgold, which is a programmable metal. Programmed correctly, a small piece of flashgold can make a hammer strike without anyone holding it. A larger piece can be programmed to do far more complex tasks. Unfortunately, the secret to flashgold died with Kali's father. So, this installment of the Flashgold Chronicles tells the tale of Kali and Cedar. Kali is trying to build an airship, and Cedar is a bounty hunter looking for the man who framed him for murder, Cudgel Conrad. Kali helps Cedar in his search, but something else starts happening in town. Tribal women start getting murdered. As they search for Cudgel, Kali is kidnapped by the murderer. Shenanigans ensue. There are some awesome steampunk contraptions and inventions, there's action, adventure, and angst.
Review time:
Like the other novellas in the series, it is not written well, but it has all the elements to be entertaining. There is one thing I love about these stories: they are not romances. There is attraction and angst between Kali and Cedar, but for the most part, they don't even kiss. They flirt, but it's not over the top.
I also still love that the stories take place in Canada. I love northern stories. I feel like there aren't enough of them in the world.
As usual, the contraptions are one of my favorite parts. There are always new ones, and clever ways to use the ones we've seen before. I would like there to be more novellas in this series. Sure, I would recommend this series to people who are looking for a short, entertaining read. If you're looking for substance, this probably isn't the place to start. It's fun and creative, though, and it's worth a look.