Set in the lawless Texas landscape, this latest installment in Sherman's Baron series (after The Baron Brand) reaches a watershed on the eve of the Civil War. Grieving the shameful death of his wife, Caroline, estranged patriarch Martin Baron must mend fences with his son, Anson—the new owner of the family's Box B Ranch—in order to face a deadly threat from a fractious neighbor, Matteo Aguilar. Martin bought the Box B land from Aguilar's family, and Matteo is determined to take it back by force; the feud intensifies as Martin discovers his wife's death is linked to Aguilar family actions. Ruthless opportunist Jules Reynaud, still smarting from Martin's breakup of an illegal slave deal, joins forces with Matteo, while an Apache Indian and former Box B hand, Mickey Bone, equivocates. A boyhood mentor for Anson, Bone has returned from exile with a new wife and baby, but he is not sure where his loyalties lie. Martin gets support from other locals, from a lone Texas Ranger trying to recruit him and from neighbor Roy Killian, who is desperately trying to escape the romantic intentions of wealthy Wanda Fancher, her nagging mother, his own mother and her new husband, all of whom now fill his small ranch house. Spur Award–winner Sherman explores character relationships in true family saga style, then leads the frontier folk into an inevitable, bloody shoot-'em-up, leaving loose ends for future installments to tie up. Strong female characters and plenty of romance could help this title bridge the western gender gap. Agent, Peter Matson. (Jan.)
