True to the Law

In this engrossing novel set in 1889 Wyoming, Goodman (A Place Called Home) delivers a lovable and feisty heroine and an upstanding lawman who find each other in highly unlikely circumstances. Gertrude “Tru” Morrow is bereft and at loose ends after the death of her wealthy employer, Charlotte Mackey, in Chicago. She takes a job as a schoolteacher in the tiny town of Bitter Springs, Wyo., but trouble follows her: Mrs. Mackey’s grandson, Andrew, thinks Tru stole from his grandmother and hires detective Cobb Bridger to find her. In the process of checking her out, Cobb falls hard for Tru, a minister’s daughter with a fondness for fine whiskey. All that remains is to figure out who’s lying to whom. Engaging characters and a well-plotted story will captivate the reader all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Agent: Pam Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Associates. (May)