In 1797, Tennessee was still a wilderness with wild animals, Indians,
and men who lived outside the law. Rachel Taylor, whose father owned
a trading post, watched jealously as her friend, Sally, married Wiley
Harpe. Good men were hard to find on the frontier and Rachel thought
her friend one of the lucky ones in spite of the fact that Wiley’s
brother Micajah made her uncomfortable. The idyllic wedding quickly
turned sour. Wiley and Micajah had two other women with them and used
all the women as common property.They were also thieves and killers.
Ben Langford,
followed his cousin to the frontier. When he couldn’t find him, he
learned that Thomas had been murdered probably a victim of the Harpes
who had gone on a killing spree taking their families with them. Ben
meets Rachel, who he likes very much when he joins a group looking
for the Harpes.
This is more a dark
story of serial killers than a romance, but Ben and Rachel are able
to become fond of each other and support each other when the killers
are apprehended. The story is historically accurate. The author did
an in-depth search for information on the Harpes and their victims. I
recommend reading the Historical Note at the end of the book for a
good overview of the era.
Rachel and Ben are
solid characters, making a contrast with Sally and Wiley. I thought
the juxtaposition added to the realism of the story. This is a very
well done historical crime story. I recommend it.
I received this book
from Barbour Books for this review.
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