The Sheriff's Surrender

Historical fiction author Davis churns out another folksy, lighthearted story set in 1885 about a not-so-feminine heroine who shoots better than most men. Gert Dooley has spent years caring for her widowed brother, Hiram, who is Fergus, Idaho's, only gunsmith, and that position strategically places her to practice shooting all types of firearms. Second to none, Gert sets up a women's shooting club after a killer comes to town, and while the womenfolk are eager to learn from Gert's experienced hands, the men in town balk. As Gert trains her friends to protect themselves, she finds herself strangely attracted to the new sheriff, Ethan Chapman. Slowly the two begin a dance, and who knows which one will fire the first shot of romance. Davis's evenly paced tale, kicking off a series, reads smoothly and predictably, but perhaps too much so for avid readers who hanker for unexpected plot ambushes here and there. (Dec.)