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Coyote Springs #2
The Texan
Tall, Dark and Texan
And Maybe Her Lifetime's Adventure
And Maybe Her Lifetime's Adventure
After the failure of her marriage, Marcie Browder returns to the vast west Texas ranch she grew up on, to try to recapture her sense of self and security. But almost immediately she has an argument with her father. The next day she finds him murdered...with Tucker McGee, the new ranch foreman, standing over the body.
McGee isn't the simple cowboy he sometimes seems, and Marcie suspects he had a hand in her father's murder. Then she finds out that McGee suspects her.
To unearth the real killer, they have to trust each other.
Trust leads to love.
Or is it the other way around?
299 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2017
Received an ARC for my fair review for netgalley. I did enjoy it, however I have to admit that for a suspense novel it was not really fireworks exciting. But I was still intrigued wanted to know who did it.
April 27, 2012
Review posted on my blog: http://chattygirlbookreviews.wordpres...
*The publisher provided me with this book for review, via Netgalley.*
Standing in the shadows was not what I expected. I thought it would have more romance and less mystery but in fact the opposite was true.
This book is actually a strong murder mystery and the added romance is a great addition. For the most part I liked it. I liked the main characters and I liked their developing relationship. I liked the twisty plot. The book was well written and was really detailed.
My main complaint is that I thought there was maybe a little too much happening. I would have liked there to be a little less action and a bit more development. Also, the ending came out of nowhere. Normally in murder mysteries there are clues or false trails and at the end when you find out who the murderer is you wonder how you missed it and everything clicks into place. That was not the case here; the killer was so unexpected that it was almost a disappointment. I didn’t get the thrill of the chase which was a real shame.
This book isn’t going to win any awards and it is not going to change your life, but it is an interesting read if you like the genre.
*The publisher provided me with this book for review, via Netgalley.*
Standing in the shadows was not what I expected. I thought it would have more romance and less mystery but in fact the opposite was true.
This book is actually a strong murder mystery and the added romance is a great addition. For the most part I liked it. I liked the main characters and I liked their developing relationship. I liked the twisty plot. The book was well written and was really detailed.
My main complaint is that I thought there was maybe a little too much happening. I would have liked there to be a little less action and a bit more development. Also, the ending came out of nowhere. Normally in murder mysteries there are clues or false trails and at the end when you find out who the murderer is you wonder how you missed it and everything clicks into place. That was not the case here; the killer was so unexpected that it was almost a disappointment. I didn’t get the thrill of the chase which was a real shame.
This book isn’t going to win any awards and it is not going to change your life, but it is an interesting read if you like the genre.
September 25, 2017
Standing in the Shadows is the second of the Coyote Springs novels by Ken Casper. It's a standalone novel and is what I would call a murder mystery cowboy romance. Yep. It's got murder, cowboys, cattle rustlers, drunks, abusive husbands and second chance romance. It's well written and fairly short at 216 pages. Some of the romance dialogue had me rolling my eyes, there's a fair bit of bosom heaving and moaning, but it is a romance, and perhaps I'm being a trifle unfair.
No real surprises and no disappointment. It follows through and delivers an enjoyably diverting read. The characters are well developed (if predictable), and the plotting is solid. The mystery was well thought out and followed 'the rules'. It's mostly clean with no explicit sex scenes (just implied). The romance part is sweet and wholesome, without a ton of draaaaama which I really appreciated. I didn't feel like I wanted to reach into the book and smack any of the characters for being an idiot, or at least not uncontrollably so.
Definitely worth a read for die-hard cowboy romance fans.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
No real surprises and no disappointment. It follows through and delivers an enjoyably diverting read. The characters are well developed (if predictable), and the plotting is solid. The mystery was well thought out and followed 'the rules'. It's mostly clean with no explicit sex scenes (just implied). The romance part is sweet and wholesome, without a ton of draaaaama which I really appreciated. I didn't feel like I wanted to reach into the book and smack any of the characters for being an idiot, or at least not uncontrollably so.
Definitely worth a read for die-hard cowboy romance fans.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
April 8, 2021
Best part about this book was the plot twist in who the murderer really was.
May 21, 2012
4.25 out of 5. A compelling novel about the ripple effect of what one man can do to his family and even to his community as a drunken and abusive person whose personal achievements get lost in the awfulness. It looks like a simple case of the murder of a rancher who has caught rustlers in the act. But as in most murder mysteries, there is far more here than meets the eye. There are family dynamics that are anything but healthy; cattle are being rustled from more than one ranch; the murder victim had amassed a long list of persons who were relieved not to bear the brunt of his abuse any longer; there was an investigator under cover; lots of stuff going on here and all woven together into a wonderful novel of intrigue, jealousy, hidden agendas, old secrets, and a powerful love attraction just to make it even better. Mr Casper has given his readers a riveting tale which is, as the old radio show claimed, " . . . well calculated to keep you in suspense." The characters are clearly as different as any set of people can be, all of whom have their own way of viewing the situation, and all of whom have a reason to be "persons of interest." There is an underlying sense that all of their lives are built on secrets and as a result, the foundations of their living may not be able to sustain them. The reader will be taken in directions that are quite surprising, and yet that is what makes a good mystery story really good. This one is really worth reading!!
March 29, 2014
This was a fairly well-developed and well-written mystery with full-blooded characters and natural dialogue, but I was somewhat disappointing in light of having read As the Crow Dies, which I liked better. I don't think that there was anything really unique or outstanding about this book, just good solid writing, danger, intriguing family secrets and dynamics, and enough potential suspects and clues to hold your interest and keep you guessing. It did, unfortunately, contain one of my pet peeves about the suspense genre, when the Baddie has the drop on the Goodie, and feels compelled for no good reason to go into great detail filling every possible plot hole, explaining the motivation and methods, and answering every question. Seriously, does that ring true to anybody or does it just come off as a short-cut to avoid having to unfold the missing pieces more naturally in the course of the story? It really didn't work in this book since the Baddie confessing it all would have worked so much better shortly thereafter, when the injured Baddie thought that death was near--that strikes me as a more natural time for a full confession.
August 5, 2012
Wow. This book goes in the list of one of my very favorites. It kept me hooked until the very end. The setting was well crafted, and the characters so real. The murder mystery completely surprised me. But more than that was the touching look at the new found love of two people who had been through so much. My only complaint is a small one. The dialogue of various people was lumped into one paragraph throughout the book and this took slower reading to unravel. It would have been better done as individual lines. The book does contain sex scenes, but they weren't over the top. The plot of the book and the love of the two main characters, Marcie and Tux, really centered the story. Super book!
June 23, 2012
As much as I love romantic suspense, Standing in the Shadows didn't really interest me or excite me as it should have. It wasn't very suspenseful and didn't hold my attention and the feelings that Marcie and Tucker felt for each other was unrealistic. They really hadn't known each other or even spent time together before they started saying 'I love you' to each other. But the ending was shocking and worth reading just to see who was murdering folks.
June 28, 2012
This was one heck of a story. From the beginning to the very last, I had no idea who was behind the murders. It is a rare book that I can't at least figure 2 who could be villains... not this one! Lots of twists and turns, love lost, love found, good choices and bad. Will definitely be looking for more books by this author.
September 25, 2009
Modern
June 25, 2012
This book is a great "whodoneit"!! I was truly surprised at the end of the book. Way to go Casper! It's great to read a mystery that you can't predict! Not too steamy either.
September 8, 2012
A great who-done-it mystery. I found myself unable to put the book down as I tried to figure out who the murderer was. A very nice read.
September 16, 2012
An enjoyable unpredictable read! thumbs up!
September 26, 2013
Would have been much better without the awkward romance plot line that just felt forced.
March 20, 2016
really good book
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews