She has morphed from a hesitant innocent into a determined, rather insensitive woman whose motivations are muddled in her own and the reader s minds. Some of the necessary information seems to be deliberately withheld in an effort to generate suspense, but this Garnet seems to lack the self-awareness and presence she possessed earlier in the story. Suspension of disbelief becomes an even more important requirement as the reader tries to understand the events that take place in Pride County. Although she is supposedly a brilliant businesswoman, Garnet routinely misinterprets the motivations of various characters and fails to recognize evidence of duplicity or malice. The mysterious figure of Garnet s husband seems to be at various times supporting her and plotting against her.
Secondary characters appear to be villains in one scene, old family friends in another.
It may be that these characters were intended to be complex and multi-faceted, but they appear incoherent instead. Some things, such as how the plantation was lost in the first place, or how Garnet came to find out about it, are never adequately explained. The requisite happy ending depends too much on coincidence and contrivance. It may be that a reader familiar with the previous books would not find these plot issues so distracting, but this book does not stand well on its own. The first three Pride County books received 4 heart recommendations from other reviewers on this site.