Danger Ridge

I've just finished reading Danger Ridge and loved it. I normally read romance and mystery novels and don't read westerns but a friend recommended it and I'm glad she did. This isn't what I expected. Instead, Danger Ridge surprised me with an interesting story which moved well and taught me a little about the Old West. Claire Rhodes is a society lady determined to join her husband in Colorado when WHAM, she's ducking bullets from men fighting over her. She's taken by a mysterious man only known as The Rainmaker, but we learn slowly throughout the book that he's a man wanted for treason, but claims he's innocent. I really enjoyed the dialogue between these two different characters. It was funny, but it sounded real. The story follows them both as they go to Claire's husband's silver mine, but someone is out to kill her, and the only one she can trust is The Rainmaker, but she barely knows him. The action is so fast paced, I didn't put the book down until I finished it at two o'clock in the morning. The ending was a little abrupt, but it left me wanting to read the next one.

Danger Ridge should put McGuire off to a running start in his new writing career. He's got a ball-buster of a first novel. His protagonist, Clay Cole aka Rainmaker, is very believable. And the way McGuire detailed the many "danger" scenes was marvelous. A tip of the Stetson for the way he described his characters, especially Clair and Jenks. I'm anxious to read the next adventure(s) of the Rainmaker.