cover image Marrying Miss Marshal

Marrying Miss Marshal

Lacy Williams. Harlequin/Love Inspired Historical, $5.50 mass market (309p) ISBN 978-0-373-82881-4

Occasionally clunky, chastely Christian, and warmly romantic with a hint of adventure and an unconventional heroine, Williams's 1890s Wyoming Territory debut pairs an illiterate smalltown marshal with a citified detective. Danna Carpenter is doing her best to keep the peace in tiny Calvin, Wy., while trying to find out who killed her husband. Chas O'Grady is on the trail of cattle rustlers when Danna saves him from a stampede. After he offers to be her deputy as an excuse to stay in town and investigate, they end up out overnight and are forced to marry by the town council to preserve the appearance of propriety so Danna can keep her job. They discover a personal connection as their investigations unsurprisingly turn out to be linked. Williams's storytelling style is rough and simplistic, but easy to follow to its cheery conclusion. (Aug.)