Washington ~~ Present Day

Marci Sky hasn't a clue what she's gotten herself into. Felicia, a college friend she hasn't seen in five years, needs a last-minute bridesmaid, and isn't it fortunate that Marci's available? It's not as if she has a lot to do; as a matter of fact, she's got plenty of free time since she lost her job in the department of History thanks to cutbacks. Oh, and her boyfriend dumped her, so she can't even bring a date. When Marci arrives at her destination on a dark and stormy night, she can't help but feel something weird is going on.

When she gets shoved off of a balcony and her credit cards are stolen, Marci soon suspects that someone isn't too happy with the fact that she's returned to the place where her late grandmother, the famous actress Barbara Tallant Sky, was born. Could all the bad stuff happening be linked to her grandmother's tragic death? Thankfully, there's one person at the wedding whom Marci can feel comfortable around, Rick Kinslee, Felicia's cousin. But he's also got a bit of mystery surrounding him. Just what is going on at Gunshot Grange?

GUNSHOT GRANGE is an intriguing romantic suspense filled with eccentric characters and, of course, true love. The dialogue is written with rapid precision and with plenty of wit. Marci hasn't had the most fulfilling of lives, but takes everything that happens to her in stride. There are times she still thinks of herself as a pudgy adolescent, so the fact that a man as devastatingly sexy as Rick is interested in her has Marci a bit confused. Although this story is not told in the first person, Rick doesn't really become the male protagonist until a few chapters in. True, Marci and Rick's first meeting is a memorable one, but his own story and feelings aren't conveyed until later, and I would have enjoyed more time with him. The mystery surrounding Marci's grandmother is an engaging one, and readers will undoubtedly be on the edge waiting to find out the truth of Barbara Tallant's life and death.

When you add some pretty colorful secondary characters, Heather Hiestand's GUNSHOT GRANGE shouldn't be missed.

Courtney Michelle