Larkspur

Veteran author Garlock dusts off the time-honored, land-grab plot and brings Kristin Anderson to 1880s Big Timber Montana, a town choked by vicious corruption. The determined, young city woman, manages to keep her inheritance, find gutsy friends, and get the help of rancher Buck Lenning. Garlock's narrative and dialogue lend rich visual, almost cinematic, flavor which is nicely complemented by a fistful of mangy thugs and the complex character of hired killer, Del Gomer. In a curious twist, loyal friends must face ranch marauders while Buck rescues Kristin, who has been kidnapped by a headstrong Indian. Though the romance evolves rather too effortlessly, Garlock's secondary story of a few brave souls attempt to restore a justice, is deftly handled. (Feb.)