November 17, 2013

Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels



So this was more of a mystery than a romance.  Probably because there wasn't enough time to fit both a romance and a mystery in the book.  Something had to be left out.

Hudson Savage is back in town to be a temporary Marshall.  So it's not the greatest of instances when his first case is a dead body found on Cardwell Ranch.  Mainly because the owner of the ranch is his ex-fiance.  An ex-fiance that was hurt terribly by him and someone that he still has feelings for.  As for Dana, she's having the worse birthday ever.  A body, Hudson being back in town, and some deplorable siblings make for a rough day.  And because she's close to the crime, there may be someone who doesn't want her around either.

I don't like Dana.  I think she jumps to conclusions to quick and is kind of flighty, despite the fact that she's supposed to be the solid one of her family.  Sure she holds a lot of responsibility, but she seems to stretch herself thin and I can't say I actually saw her do much hard work in this book.  I just heard a lot alluded to.  Hudson is a better character.  He actually is out there doing something and is pretty level headed.  In fact, he's so reliable that you can't see how things really got destroyed in the first place.  And all the other characters?  Someone needs to fix the water in that town. 

I was pleased that this took place in a part of Montana that I really know.  Especially hearing the Emerson in Bozeman mentioned.  That just made my day.  It's such a beautiful area that I love when books take place there and cringe when the details are wrong.  And I did enjoy the mystery in this book, although I somewhat guessed what it was half ways through and thought that it should have gone a different way.  But I'm hoping the next book in the series will include a little of the romance.  I sure didn't get enough of it in this one. 

This is an ok book, considering that on the cover it's advertised as free and so many have enjoyed it for nothing.  Quick, rushed, but still easy to get through, it's good for a read you don't have to think about.

Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch
Copyright 2011
248 pages

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