08/12/2024
Connealy (Toward the Dawn) wraps up her A Western Light series with a breakneck ride through the late 19th-century American frontier. After escaping the mental asylum she’d been committed to by the greedy ex-husband who stole her inheritance, and spending four years in hiding, Ginny Rutledge is now eager to free other women unfairly trapped in the institution. First, she’ll need to prove her own sanity in court, so she sets out with her daughter, Beth; Beth’s husband, Jake; their three small children; and a few others in hopes of standing a fair trial in Wyoming. Once there, misfortunes pile up, among them the judge is out of town, and one of their party is being stalked by mysterious bad actors. When Ginny’s ex-husband, Thaddeus, and the corrupt doctor who ran the asylum show up hoping to recommit Ginny, she must draw on her faith to prove her sanity in court, keep herself and her family safe, and rescue other women unfairly consigned to the asylum—all while evading Thaddeus’s clutches. Brimming with high-stakes action, plot twists, and plenty of shady characters, Connealy’s finale captivates while sensitively exploring the rights of women in the Old West. Series fans will be delighted. (Oct.)
