High Stakes

HIGH STAKES, the fourth book in The Baxter Series, quickly became my favorite. The introduction of Angie Marks, a young, free-spirited, teenager brought a youthful energy to the book. Angie has come to Baxter for a reason, not just by chance. And her spiky black hair, tattoos, and piercings, draws stares and standoff attitudes from the town's people. Will she follow through with her plan? And what will she do when people suspect her in a crime just because she looks different? Though I was surprised with the drastic change in the character of Patrick Bailey, I loved the interaction between him and Angie. The takeaway message of HIGH STAKES is, How do we treat others when they are different from ourselves? I've enjoyed the way all the characters overlap in this series. Though I continue to be surprised at how quickly some of the characters have gone from hardnosed, critical - to born again, virtuous, it has not been enough to sway me from reading further. I am now off to the final book of the series, A FINE LINE.

I enjoyed each book in this series greatly! The suspense kept you going and the spiritual applications were edifying! I highly recommend this series.

I have read the entire Baxter series: books 1 through 5 and they were excellent. I would recommend the series to anyone who enjoys suspense and romance with a life changing story line.

After reading HIGH STAKES, I found myself silently praying for every pierced and tattooed teen I passed in the Mall--that they would find unconditional love and belonging through a caring adult, like Angie Marks discovered in the old man, Patrick Bailey.

Baxter is a very small town where everybody knows everyone else, a place where a stranger sticks out immediately. When eighteen-year-old, Angie Marks arrives in town, people start whispering about the stud in her nose, the very visible tattoos and the black nail polish. Many people think she is dangerous but the town millionaire Patrick Bailey see beyond appearances and hire her to be his housekeeper. He ignores the warnings of his daughter and his grandson's new wife, even when she disappears and is suspected to be with murder suspect Tully Hollister.He believes that there is a rational reason why Angie is gone and his faith in her remains steadfast. When Tully and Angie are finally found, the town learns Tully kidnapped Angie but didn't harm her. He thought she had information that would exonerate him on the murder charge. Patrick takes her back and learns the real reason she came to Baxter and then proceeds to do everything in his power to see that she gets what she needs.Patrick is a very wise and astute character who sees beyond surface appearances. Angie is a young woman who desperately needs someone to love her for herself and Patrick does just that because he sees the goodness and gentleness within her. He goes out of his way to show his acceptance of her and she in turn shows her devotion to him by being the best worker he ever employed. Kathy Herman has written an inspiring tale that isn't preachy yet gets her message across.Harriet Klausner