The Sheriff Of Shelter Valley (Shelter Valley Stories)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting use of amnesia plot -- Recommended
Review: The piercing cry of a child wakes a woman in a hotel in Snowflake, Arizona. With no identification and no memory of her past, she must construct a life for herself and her son. Using the name she checked in under, Beth Allen evaluates the bruises on her body and the two thousand dollars in a duffle bag and surmises that she and Ryan are on the run. But from what and to where?

An article describing the sanctuary a battered wife discovered in Shelter Valley leads Beth there. She begins a cleaning business and leads a reclusive life. But the sheriff Greg Richards finds the draw of this enigmatic woman fascinating. Meanwhile, Greg has his own struggles with his past as current carjackings seem to tie to cold cases of ten years ago that took his father's life.

Author Tara Taylor Quinn uses amnesia to great effect in THE SHERIFF OF SHELTER VALLEY. Rather than encouraging dependence, however, amnesia forces self-reliance and extreme independence for Beth. The secondary plot, however, threatens to overbalance the tale as Greg struggles to solve the carjackings. Nevertheless, the use of a cult in the novel provides a chilling motivation for Beth's flight, and her desperate need to protect her child. While the novel feels a bit uneven, it's fast pace and riveting action will keep the reader glued to its pages. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable romantic suspense
Review: The wail of an infant wakes up Beth Allen in a Snowflake, Arizona motel with bruises on her body especially her head and a loss of memory. Beth knows her name because that is the identity she registered with to obtain a room. She concludes based on where she is and the contusions that she is on the run, but has no idea from whom or where. When she reads an article in a magazine about a battered spouse welcomed to safety in nearby Shelter Valley, she decides to go there with the child she assumes is her son.

Months later, Beth still suffers from amnesia and remains in hiding for fear that her unknown enemy will find her. Sheriff Greg Richards asks her out as he is attracted to her, but though she likes the lawman, she rejects him because she doesn't want him probing into her past even innocently on a date. As he works to stop deadly carjackings that is reminiscent of a cold case, her past is closing in on her and only Greg can keep her and her son safe.

Fans of the series will delight in the latest entry as characters return from previous novels and Greg finds his true love. The story line uses a police procedural as a secondary subplot, but mostly focuses on Beth's dilemmas. Though amnesia is an overused gimmick, the audience will want Greg to stop whoever seeks to harm the heroine. Romantic suspense readers will enjoy this tale though the villain's reason for chasing Beth seems stretched, but then again perhaps cult insanity makes it reasonable.

Harriet Klausner