Monday, August 15, 2011

Hanging Offense by Cleo Dare


Publisher:                Regal Crest Enterprises


Mandy Barnes is using her summer job as a ranger at Bryce Canyon National Park to get away from some things – her husband Jay who cheated their friends out of their money, those friends and her marriage.  Maybe being out in the middle of nowhere with no distractions will help her to clarify what she needs to do next.  All she encounters is distractions though.  There is Jo Reynolds, a full time park ranger, who is surprisingly attractive to Mandy.  Mandy has had doubts about her sexuality before, but has never had the chance to act upon that.  Jo could change everything. There is the Mormon community located around the park that feels the rangers are unsettling to their young people and are therefore hostile to the rangers. While on a hike Mandy finds coins that might be part of a Mormon treasure that is supposed to be hidden in the area.  Finding them starts Mandy having dreams about a brutal murder and where the treasure came from over a hundred years before.  The focus of the book though is her growing attraction to Jo, which isn't dampened even when Mandy tries dating one of the male rangers.  When Jay shows up with no warning everything becomes a jumble as he tries to pressure Mandy to resume their marriage and then finds more interest in discovering the treasure than pursuing her.  Maybe Jo and the stability she represents are what Mandy needs to deal with all of the other issues in her life.



This is not Cleo Dare/s best book.  The story is predictable and follows a well known pattern.  There aren't any surprises in this book.  It's not a complicated story, but it is an enjoyable one.  


No comments:

Post a Comment