Blue Sage by Anne Stuart
Karen Wheless
stories lately about Collumbine and similar events, Blue Sage by Anne
Stuart jumped out at me. This was originally a category book, but I found
it reprinted as part of the "Western Lovers" series. It's from 1987, but
I'm not sure what line it was originally under.
After over thirty years, Tanner has returned to the town where he was born.
He isn't expecting a warm welcome, after his father killed sixteen people
fifteen years earlier and then turned the gun on himself. But he needs to
find answers to his questions. He finds an unexpected welcome from Ellie
Lundquist, the sole survivor of the attack, and a protected martyr in the
town. But Ellie is trying to put the past behind her and, at long last,
move ahead with her life. She is willing to help Tanner, and put some of
her own ghosts to rest at the same time.
Overall, this was an interesting and thoughtful book. At first, I found it
hard to understand these characters - Ellie seems too good to be true and
Tanner was too cryptic. But after a few chapters, they came alive for me
and seemed more real. Anne Stuart is very good at exposing her characters
in just a few thoughts or actions. Even though the characters seem like
stereotypes at first glance (the bitter loner, the virginal widow), Stuart
peels back the surface and makes the characters three dimensional. The
"suspense" plotline was unnecessary and too obvious (even I figured it out
in the second chapter), which is my only criticism. But overall, I enjoyed
the book, it was thoughtfully done.
Karen
____________________________________________
Karen Wheless
kwhe...@rockland.net
"The universe is full of magical things patiently
waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Eden Phillpots