Stripped Bare

Nebraska rancher Kate Fox Conner has a host of intrusive relatives to contend with in this crowded, somewhat sketchy series launch from Baker (Tattered Legacy and two other Nora Abbot mysteries). All is going well for Kate and her husband, Grand County sheriff Ted Conner, who’s running for reelection, until she hears the news that Eldon Edwards, the owner of the Bar J, a ranch of almost 100,000 acres, has been shot and killed. At the crime scene, Ted is found shot and seriously wounded. Milo Ferguson, the sheriff of neighboring Choker County, tells Kate that he may have to arrest Ted for Eldon’s murder. Things get even more tangled with the disappearance of Kate’s strong-willed teenage niece, Carly, and wealthy Glenn Baxter’s claim that he had an agreement with Eldon to buy the Bar J spread. Kate has her hands full as she runs her own ranch and tries to discover who shot Eldon and her husband. Amid the fast-moving action, readers will struggle to keep track of the large cast. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary. (Sept.)