The Devil You Know

March 28, 2016
Goodman continues her winning streak of tender late 19th-century Western romances with good-natured but no-nonsense heroines and lovably roguish heroes who respect them. Willa Pancake’s spunky 10-year-old sister, Annalea, goes into the woods and finds injured Israel McKenna, the roguish brother of U.S. Marshal Quill McKenna (from This Gun for Hire). He seems to have been dragged by his horse, but doesn’t remember it clearly. He convinces Willa to take him in at the Pancake family ranch to recover. Willa’s eager to evade the marriage proposals of her onetime childhood sweetheart, Eli Barber, son of a family with which the Pancakes have a long-standing land feud. This leads Willa to propose to Israel, whose answer is encouraged by her father’s shotgun. The search for clues to Israel’s con-man past yields ample scenes of Willa and Israel carefully building mutual trust, while also offering the opportunity to add detail to the setting and to let secondary characters shine. Goodman’s narrative satisfies with emotionally resonant characters, playful dialogue, and a clever but not overly complex plot. Agent: Pam Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Associates.

April 15, 2016
When a mysterious battered stranger is found on her land, a young woman rancher struggles to protect her heart--and a secret--from him. Goodman (The Last Renegade, 2012, etc.) draws us into the life of Wilhelmina "Willa" Pancake, who's running her alcoholic father's ranch and raising her precocious sister, Annalea, in 19th-century Colorado. When Annalea discovers an unconscious man on their property, Willa is wary but offers him sanctuary till he recovers. Israel McKenna soon remembers who he is but not why he ended up nearly beaten to death in an unfamiliar town. He decides to stay at Pancake Valley Ranch even after he heals, hoping to uncover his lost memories but also to get a read on Willa. She's not so sure he's revealing all that he remembers. Goodman's novel, with a romance plot that hints at Richard Nash's classic play The Rainmaker, is also enlivened by the interplay between Israel and Annalea, a pigtailed charmer. The ensemble cast of Willa's father, Shadrach "Happy" Pancake, and dog, John Henry, provides both humor and poignancy to complement the developing intimacy between her and Israel. The cloud on the horizon is both their pasts, with hers--a scheming rival rancher's son, her childhood love--finally intersecting with his. Characters from Goodman's This Gun for Hire (2015) also make an appearance as the novel goes from a startling revelation to an unexpected yet fitting climax. Readers of Western historical romance will enjoy the novel's deft blending of suspense, humor, and family drama.

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April 15, 2016

Discovered on Pancake Valley ranch land by precocious, "nearly ten" Annalea, self-proclaimed "bad man" Israel McKenna, horribly battered, barely conscious, and missing his memory, is taken in by tough-minded rancher Willa Pancake. But the generational feud between the Pancakes and their unsavory neighbors, plus the growing attraction between Willa and Israel, take things in an unforeseen direction. These wary lovers acknowledge their pasts and settle a few outstanding scores. VERDICT Wonderfully flawed individuals, unexpected plot twists, refreshing humor, and the appearance of folks from This Gun for Hire, as well as references to Goodman's other earlier books, make this another of the author's must-read historicals. Fans will be pleased. Goodman lives in West Virginia.

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