ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books. My young adult novel, Sarah's Long Ride, also spotlights horses and the rugged sport of endurance riding, as does the contemporary romance Trail to Justice. I took a vocational course in horseshoeing after earning a bachelor's degree in history. I don't shoe horses anymore, but the experience has come in handy in writing my books.
Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters
For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer, covering local government, school board meetings, business news, fires, auto accidents, and other local events, including a murder trial. I've also written many profiles and features for the newspaper and its special sections. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. We're so glad we did. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Gert Dooley can shoot the tail feathers off a jay at a hundred yards, but she wants Ethan Chapman to see she's more than a crack shot with a firearm. When the sheriff of Fergus, Idaho, is murdered and Ethan is named his replacement, Gert decides she has to do whatever she can to help him protect the citizenry. So she starts the Ladies Shooting Club. But when one of their numbers is murdered, these ladies are called on for more than target shooting and praying. Can Gert and the ladies of Fergus find the murderer before he strikes again?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Sheriff’s Surrender , go HERE
My review:
The Sheriff's Surrender is a good story with quirky characters and a complex plot. Unlike some other books by Barbour authors (like M.L. Tyndall's for example), this story is very minimal on the romance. However, people who enjoy mysteries with a whodunnit theme and amateur sleuths trying to solve the crimes will enjoy this story. It wasn't boring, but there were a lot of characters to keep up with which made it harder to get to know the main players in the story. Typically romances have two main points of view but this book had several perspectives including some minor characters. But it was a cute story and I'd recommend it to people who like mystery based historical fiction and don't mind minimal romance.
There were some good themes in this story, too. Women are capable of more than just cooking and taking care of their men for one thing. Also, befriending the outcasts in society is truly Christ-like behavior. I loved how the new pastor's wife was portrayed in a positive light and how she was an example to the ladies of the town. I also loved how the women in the shooter's club reached out to the stinky old lady and to the saloon gals. The way the club grew and became a key ministry to the town was cool, too. I just wished there had been a bit more expression in regards to the hero and heroine's romantic relationship, though I did enjoy the progression of their thinking and the development of their friendship. I found it believable. All in all this was a good novel, but it was very tame. Even the potentially shocking material was low-key.
The Sheriff's Surrender was published by Barbour and released in Dec 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment