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Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful characterizations -- Recommended
Review: Seven years ago Russ Simon preferred raising horses to following his father's dream of entering his law firm. So with law degree in hand, Russ parted ways with his father. Now he has an opportunity to heal the breach by doing a bit of investigating for his father, who is the close friend and lawyer for Joseph Haskell. Joe seeks his estranged daughter, and believes Marigold Crowley to be his granddaughter based on a photograph that reveals Mari's unusually colored hair - the same color as her deceased mother's. Joe shares his father's doubts, traveling to Nevada on the pretense of looking for a ranch for expanding his horse breeding service. Mari's genuine goodness leaves him feeling disarmed, not to mention guilty for his deception. Bold, confident Mari always felt loved and needed by her aunt and uncle, easily accepting them as substitute parents. She knew little of her mother except she died in childbirth, accepting the story her aunt and uncle provided. When her uncle hears Joe's televised appeal, the story fits what he knows of Mari's mother, so he sends a letter and photo without telling his niece. Joe's response was to invite Mari to his home on MacKinac Island where he intends to perform DNA testing to confirm his suspicions. Unfortunately, Joe's heart condition leads to his being flown to New York City for emergency treatment just as she's flying to the island. She remains on the island awaiting his return, and welcomes the chance encounter that reunites her with her newfound friend Russ. Jane Toombs weaves a magic spell of lilacs and love in THE MISSING HEIR. Rather than the typical identity crisis most women would endure under such circumstances, Mari handles the changes in her life with grace and ease. Certainly she questions and reevaluates her identity, but she doesn't exhibit the struggle that so often accompanies such a plot. And perhaps therein lies the weakness of the book. She's such a strong heroine that she's left little room for growth except in affairs of the heart. She cannot stand duplicity and has much to learn about the gray areas of life, where things are neither right nor wrong, they simply exist. On the other hand, Russ is a wonderfully romantic hero who struggles with pleasing his father while also pleasing his heart. Old wounds make him vulnerable and give him plenty of space to grow. While this plot offers little surprise, these are remarkably pleasing and delightful characterizations, making THE MISSING HEIR recommended.
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