Mary Logue

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this historical mystery, the second in the Bridgid Reardon series after THE STREEL Inspired by the lives of the author's immigrant ancestors, this engaging story features a very young but highly independent young Irishwoman who has traveled with a male friend to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where the "big sugars" are the wealthy cattlemen who call the shots - and covet the land being parceled out to newly-arrived settlers like Brigid.

As the story opens, Brigid finds a terrible sight - her neighbor, a woman, has been hanged from a cottonwood tree. Who is responsible, and why was the woman targeted? Brigid aims to find out, even as she looks for her missing brother and tries to reconcile herself to life in a "soddy" with a man who she might eventually marry. The ending leaves room for another adventure in another part of the West.

Though it's the second in the series, it's not necessary to read the first - though you might want to, given the inevitable spoilers in this story. It's a short, engaging, and well-researched, though the author never bogs the story down with too much material. Recommended for mystery lovers, including young adult ones.… (more)