Strange Angels CL

Formulaic plotting and cliched characters mar this otherwise often captivating tale of the contemporary West set in the sandhills of Nebraska. Upon the death of Heywood Bennett, patriarch of a wealthy ranching family, his three offspring--each by a different mother--jointly inherit his holdings. The eldest son, Arthur, is embittered by having to share the fortune. Kya, Heywood's reckless, independent daughter by a Lakota woman, wants to be free of family responsibilities. Kept unaware of his father's identity until he was a teenager, Cody is a tough, handsome rancher who wants to make sure his adored half-sister receives her due share of the estate; meanwhile, he falls in love with an older woman, a widow. A complex net of loyalties and rivalries within both family and community ensnares each of these siblings as they grapple with their father's legacy. Agee ( Sweet Eyes ) writes knowingly of ranching life, the Indian nations and the modern realities of reservations, especially the corporate and governmental encroachments on them. Though she brings a heartfelt lyricism to her evocation of the vanishing West, her tale of the Bennett family tends toward the maudlin. The plot takes predictable turns to rather trite resolutions and the characters rarely transcend the familiar western stereotypes. (Sept.)