Branch Kincaid in an appealing character; he has known more than his share of grief. Years before (in a fire), Branch lost his mother and sister, plus both of his paternal grandparents. Now, he learns that he has lost his older brother Rob. Branch's last sibling, Rob was an official of the General Land Office, searching for land fraud. Branch's father, from whom he's been alienated for 25 years, offers Branch a way to restart their relationship. All Branch must do is is find his brother's killer.
The trail eventually leads to Gallagher's Tavern and Travelers' Inn. There Branch meets tavern owner John Gallagher and his two children, Daniel and Katie (a widowed young woman). Branch becomes the tavern's hunter, so that John can have a ready supply of meat for his customers' meals. Branch spends about the same amount of time chasing game as chasing Kate.
Branch's goal is to become part of the population so he can find his brother's killer. Kate is haunted by grief herself; she lost her husband, baby daughter and a visitor (to their home) in a fire more than a year before this story.
I found the story to be jumpy; at first everything was about the land fraud mystery. When the reader eventually learns the solution, it really didn't seem to make sense.
The next thing was the conflict between the Regulators and Moderators. That was dropped and then there was the triangle between Kate, Branch and Shaddoe. Before long, that string was left hanging. After spending considerable time and money to find his brother's killer, Branch suddenly went home to Riverrun, his family's plantation.
However, the jail break was really unlikely. As I look back at Dawson's catalog of books, this seems to have been her first published work (1993). Perhaps that explains why this book seems to be less interesting than her later works.
The trail eventually leads to Gallagher's Tavern and Travelers' Inn. There Branch meets tavern owner John Gallagher and his two children, Daniel and Katie (a widowed young woman). Branch becomes the tavern's hunter, so that John can have a ready supply of meat for his customers' meals. Branch spends about the same amount of time chasing game as chasing Kate.
Branch's goal is to become part of the population so he can find his brother's killer. Kate is haunted by grief herself; she lost her husband, baby daughter and a visitor (to their home) in a fire more than a year before this story.
I found the story to be jumpy; at first everything was about the land fraud mystery. When the reader eventually learns the solution, it really didn't seem to make sense.
The next thing was the conflict between the Regulators and Moderators. That was dropped and then there was the triangle between Kate, Branch and Shaddoe. Before long, that string was left hanging. After spending considerable time and money to find his brother's killer, Branch suddenly went home to Riverrun, his family's plantation.
However, the jail break was really unlikely. As I look back at Dawson's catalog of books, this seems to have been her first published work (1993). Perhaps that explains why this book seems to be less interesting than her later works.
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