Book Review: The Rivals

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Rivals     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Joan Johnston
Class/Genre:   Romance   Mystery   Romantic Suspense   Police Procedural
Series: Bitter Creek
Pocket, Sep 2004, $7.99, 416 pp.

In Jackson Hole, Wyoming no one except the families and the Teton County Sheriff Department cared about two missing teens. That abruptly changes when Kate Grayhawk never makes it home as she is the daughter of influential Texas mogul Clay Blackthorne and the granddaughter of his powerful enemy King Grayhawk.

Deputy Sheriff Sarah Barndollar, raising three kids alone since her spouse vanished last year, investigates the serial vanishings.. Meanwhile the feuding families’ hatred for one another interfere with her case because they suspect the other side abducted Kate and set out to prove it. Clay’s cousin Drew DeWitt offers a rare dose of sanity, but insists on being part of her inquiries. As they race to save lives, they fall in love, but she is Wyoming wilderness while he is big shot urban.

This solid entry in the continuing saga of the Blackthorne family is a fine police procedural romance. The story line moves at a fast clip while readers will shake their heads at the setbacks caused by the family feud. Though a government conspiracy has been used so often that one wonders how any trees remain in the forest, Joan Johnston’s latest thriller is a delightful investigative romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner