On Tall Pine Lake by Dorothy Garlock

This was not one of Garlock's better ones. In fact, I'd have to say that this is probably the worst book of hers that I've read so far. Which is a shame, because normally I like her books pretty well.

Just before getting ready to move, Nona gets a message from her estranged half brother asking her to hold a package for him. Thinking nothing of it, she continues on with her plans and she, an old friend Mabel, and her little sister Maggie head out to Tall Pine Lake where she will be managing a camp. Once there though, she is instantly confused and enchanted by the new owner of the camp, Simon. Simon knows that she is in danger because of her brother and he makes it his duty to keep her safe. But its hard to keep Nona safe when she's constantly arguing with him and when bad guys are roaming the woods around the camp. It'll be a much tougher job than Simon thinks.

With the exception of Mabel, the characters in this book are pretty pitiful. Nona has no reason for her anger and the way she lashes out at people is just weird. I can't follow her motivations at all. And then there's Simon, while I understand why he does what he does he just goes about it in a strange kind of controlling way. Instead of explaining things straight out he keeps secrets that don't really need to be kept and just serve to make the plot confusing. Little sister Maggie has a small role and she's actually a bit dumb in my opinion. I know she's a teenager but her thought process is a little more juvenile than even that at times. There are some side characters as well which don't really add anything. And lastly the bad guys who were polar opposites of each other and also not the smartest bunch either.

The plot was actually decent and probably would have been more enjoyable to read if the characters were decent as well. It was kind of rushed though and I think the book would have actually been more charming without all of the intrigue that Garlock brought into it. There's some minor cussing and some harsh talk by the bad guys, but its a pretty tame book in my opinion. The romance was only so-so and I think that's because I didn't like the characters who were involved in the romance. In fact, I would have rather read about the older lady Mabel having romantic interludes than reading about Nona and Simon.

Ah well, I'll still read more by Garlock but hopefully they'll be an improvement on this one. The charm just wasn't there this time.

On Tall Pine Lake
Copyright 2007
372 pages

River Rising by Dorothy Garlock

I wasn't even aware there was a fourth book in the Missouri series, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the next Garlock novel I chose happened to be it. While there are references to the previous three books in this novel, it is not necessary to read them as there was enough detail provided to read this one as a standalone.

April Ashbury has just moved to Fertile, Missouri to start her job as nurse and assistant to the local doctor. Unfortunately though, its raining hard and her car gets stuck in the mud. She sludges her way through the mud and ends up on the doorstep of Joe Jones, a handsome local farmer. Joe takes an instant liking to her and sets about pursuing her, but he has a lot of competition. Several of the men are charmed by this new nurse and make special trips to the doctors with "ailments" to be treated.

There are other worse things going on the town than friendly competition however. Malicious gossips, heated rivalries, and a flood threatens the normally peaceful town of Fertile. April and Joe are in the thick of it and it could cause them to question the feelings they have for each other. Not to mention April has a stalker to contend with as well, even if she doesn't know it.

The characters in this are mostly charming. There are of course some evil terrible people as well, but Garlock includes some "grey" characters as well which is nice compared to some of her earlier stories. April was likable and there was good chemistry with her and Joe. Some of the other characters could use some more detail, but it wasn't anything so glaring as to take away from the story.

Garlock's writing is always colorful and interesting. She doesn't leave any of the squeamish bits out. There is sex, violence, rape, etc. and caution should be used if you are offended by these things and read Garlock. Her dialogue is always witty and while I can never picture real people saying some of the things her character's say but its extremely entertaining.

It was a good book and a nice continuation of the story. There were some crazy hard to believe aspects of the plot, but overall it was a a great story. I'm definitely going to go check if there's a fifth book in the series.

River Rising
Copyright 2005
388 pages

A Place Called Rainwater by Dorothy Garlock

This book was almost another disappointment for me. In it, we are reintroduced to old characters, Jill, Joe, and Thad from the first book (they, with the exception of Thad are siblings of the main character) and are introduced to several new characters.

Jill has traveled to Rainwater, an oil town, to take over the running of a Motel while her namesake Aunt is sick. Not shortly after she arrives, Thad comes along to look after her until her brother Joe gets there.

Unfortunately, while she and Thad are out on a walk, they find the headless body of a woman. All signs point to the rich oil baron of the town, at least the signs pointed out by Lloyd Madison, a lawyer with a strange red devil mark on his face.

Madison doesn't just cause trouble for the oil baron though, he also seems to like to antagonize Jill's aunt for a reason unknown to all but the aunt. He also likes to stir others into a frenzy when it suits him.

The story revolves around finding the killer and the budding romance between Thad and Jill. There's a lot of drama and mystery with just a touch of a love story thrown in.

Like the other two novels I've read by her, this one shares a common theme. In each of the three books thus far in the Missouri series, at least one girl is a victim of a rape. There is also a great deal of mentioning breasts. While I can understand these as use for plot motives, does it have to be in every single book? Some variety would be nice. In addition, this one's language and the character's actions still don't fit with the time period.

Garlock's writing is nice but I wonder if she wouldn't be better suited to write about a different time period. Her language and the character's actions would much fit better for around the fifties or sixties. She does tend to be pretty crude at times and has no problems with profanity or sexual descriptions in her books.

I'm not sure if I'll be reading any more books by Garlock. It might be tempting just to see if she adds the same elements to every other book she writes. But anymore they are just different variations on the same theme.

A Place Called Rainwater
Copyright 2003
404 pages plus notes

High on a Hill by Dorothy Garlock

I didn't like this one as well as "On the Edge of Town". In this story, there are a whole new set of characters. But a few return from the first book, mainly Jack Jones and Corbin, the lawman from the first book. A few other characters are mentioned as well but they don't play as active a role in the book.

Anabelle Lee is the daughter of a bootlegger. They have moved out to a farm in the woods along with Boone and Spinner, her father's helpers. Here they plan on pulling off one last large job before getting out of the business. Settling into the farm Anabelle loves her new home. While her father would prefer she be a society girl and have the life he never had, she enjoys taking care of the chickens and her new cow. She also has eyes for Corbin when they meet.

Unfortunately, everyone is not as happy as they are. A local boy has his eyes set on Anabelle and doesn't want to take no for an answer. In addition, someones taken offense to her father's book legging and wants to run him into the ground, and anyone who gets in the way.

I felt that this story didn't have as much of a plot as the first, hence the short overview of it. While there was supposed to be a lot going on it was more the characters talking than anything happening. I also felt that the characters weren't as nicely developed as the first book. They seemed to lack the warmth and I just couldn't get as into the story as I would have liked.

Another thing I noticed in this book was the author's obsession with breasts. They seemed to be mentioned at least once in every chapter, and not always in the crude way of some of the antagonists. It seemed that she really liked describing them.

With the first book, this one also did not seem as a genuine fit to the time. The character's expressions and some of their actions just didn't fit the 1920's to me. While Garlock's writing is very well put together, I just don't think she represented the time as well.

I know that most of this review sounds negative and I do want to say that if I hadn't have read her first book, I probably would have liked this one better. It had a well thought out plot, it just seemed like more could have been done to enact it better. Its a good read for a lazy Saturday.

High On A Hill
Copyright 2002
385 pages

The Edge of Town by Dorothy Garlock

I picked this book up by accident thinking I was getting the works of a different author. Turns out it was a good accident. I really enjoyed this book.

Set in the early 1900's its essentially a romance novel. But Garlock adds plenty of excitement and intrigue to her book as well. As a warning though, she does not hesitate to put controversial subject matter in also.

The main character is Julie, the oldest sister of six other siblings, whose name also start with J and a father named Jethro. After the death of her mother she dropped out of school to care for everyone and run the household. While a bit disappointed that she couldn't start her own life or finish school, she loves taking care of her family and is not unhappy with her lot in life.

Unfortunately, in the town of Fertile there has been a rash of rapes and a new lawman is hired in to clean up the town a bit and provide a bit of safety for its residents. Also new to town is Evan Johnson, son of the town drunk. Residents are vary of him because they believe that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. One of the last newcomer is Birdie, and by default her daughter. A widow who is staying with her brother, she has her sights set on Evan and loathes Julie.

Julie grows close to Evan and when it sparks Birdie's jealousy, she turns to Julie's father. A pathological liar, Birdie could destroy the happy family if Julie's father is not careful. She even goes so far as to try to accuse Evan in an investigation to get even with him.

The lawman must find the culprit and Julie has to decide whether or not she believes Evan in the fact that he is innocent. She also has to decide how she's going to deal with Birdie and worst of all, with everything that's happening, will she be able to hide her secret that could ruin her in the eyes of the town?

The characters were well done in this book. It was easy to want to hate Birdie and to cheer on Julie. You wanted to shake the father for his stupidity and hope that Evan was as good as he acted. They all were able to show separate personalities, which is amazing considering the amount of siblings that Julie has.

Her writing is very descriptive but can run to crude at times. In regards to the rapes and in the case of Walter, Evan's dad, she has no problem using cussing and vulgar words.

My only complaint about the book would be the way the characters spoke. I wasn't there in the early 1900's but some of the language seemed more modern than I would have expected. Women also seemed to have a very strong role in the community, Julie especially in regards to her father which also didn't seem to genuine to the time period to me.

Garlock keeps you on your toes in this novel. Just when you think you can guess the ending, she switches it up on you. I confess, I stayed up much later than I should have reading this book just to find out what happens next. Definitely a good read.

The Edge of Town
Copyright 2001
370 pages