cover image Something More

Something More

Janet Dailey, . . Kensington, $22 (313pp) ISBN 978-0-7582-1984-8

Known for her popular Calder saga set in Montana (Calder Storm , etc.), Dailey turns her attention to the Ten Bar Ranch, near Glory, Wyo. (pop. 51), run by a young, laid-back widower, Luke McCallister. Still grieving over losing his family four years earlier, Luke, who swigs whiskey to dull the pain, isn’t particularly rattled when a skeleton turns up on his property. He is surprised, however, by his attraction to redheaded Angie Sommers, an Iowa school teacher who comes to Glory after being notified that the remains appear to be of Henry James Wilson, her long missing grandfather. Henry James’s grandfather was Ike Wilson, a train robber executed on the gallows: the skeleton’s presence on Luke’s land suggests that Ike’s missing treasure may be there, too. Saddlebags Smith, a local gold-hunting eccentric, warns the two that “lookin’ for that gold will make you crazy,” while Luke’s ranch hands and another townie complicate matters. Veteran tale-spinner Dailey depicts ranching life with a sure-handed, affectionate humor. (July)