
Big props to the local guy-done-good Jess Walter on the recent announcement of his winning the 2021 Washington State Book Award for fiction for his novel The Cold Millions.
For the unfamiliar, The Cold Millions is a riveting bit of historical fiction that takes place right here in Spokane back in the early 1900s, featuring a cast of characters that includes dirty and not-so-dirty cops, mining magnates, hit men, labor activists, exotic dancers and feminist pioneers. We talked to Walter about his inspiration for the book back when it was published. He was even so kind as to let us publish a chapter of the book in the Inlander, and you should check that out if you've yet to read The Cold Millions.