By K.T. Blakemore
One galloping, zany ride
This is one zany ride! From page one, Blakemore has us off on a madcap, suspenseful adventure with Ruby and Pip, two frenemies who must rescue a friend before a Damn Bastard kills her (and them) first. It’s mayhem; it’s kidnapping. It’s revenge, bad love affairs and more. You can’t help but root for Ruby and Pip for Blakemore deftly timeshifts so that past events are unspooled just when we need the clues in the present. I loved how the Wild West backdrop gives Blakemore a chance to show off her research chops, especially her sensory signature of detailed sounds and smells and surprises so that we are joyfully transported back to the early 1900’s. Perhaps my favorite part: There’s a lot of sister love behind their jibes and now I can’t wait for the sequel.