Review: Rising Fire - 5 star

Rising Fire  by William and J.A. Johnstone returns the reader to more stories about the Jensen family.  The patriarch, Smoke, as well as other family members have been the focus of other books by the Johnstones.  This particular installment begins with a focus on the Jensen twins, Denise (Denny) and Louis.  The story begins with them in Europe and takes several interesting turns from there.  Louis has a congenital heart issue that leads to him tiring easily and one which could threaten his life.  He is more the scholar in the family while Denny is the typical rough and tumble “tomboy.”   Louis is more the reader and thinker and Denny the active one; although she is also a very bright young woman.

Denny can out ride and out shoot many (most) men, all the while being a beautiful lass with blond curls and a feminine curvature, obvious when she has on a dress but less obvious when dressed as a ranch hand.  Her physical attraction comes to the attention of a Italian Count Malatesta while she and Louis are visiting in Venice. The count tells her that he is of Sicilian nobility and wines and dines her hoping to make a connection.  He is so charming that Denny is tempted by his suave, continental flare. There are many ups and downs in this relationship but eventually the twins must return to their grandparents in England and then Denny back to the western United States. The Count has certainly underestimated the charming Denny.

About as tempestuous as she can be, Denny is not only the apple of her dad’s eye but also the object of desire and longing for many other men in the town, including a deputy US Marshal, Brice. One day while wandering around town and watching the debarkation of train passengers, Denny is caught off guard even though several years have passed since her adventures in Venice when she sees  someone looking familiar looking getting off the train.  Denny, as she is pondering who it is, gets caught up in a confrontation between two train passengers and several ruffians.  The criminals are handled and then Denny realizes just who the object of their attack is—none other than the Count and his factotum,  She responds in a most unladylike way with a tremendous slap delivered with vengeance to the Count, startling everyone.

Many twists and turns take place through the rest of the story placing not only her life in danger but ultimately her Deputy Marshal admirer as well as the Count.  In good old West fashion, the good guys get the upper hand in this suspenseful battle of two men vying for the attention of the lovely Denny.  The Count’s less than upstanding past comes back to haunt the proceedings as well as him and those with whom he is in contact.

The storyline is nicely developed with background being introduced at the most appropriate times to keep the reader involved and in suspense.  It is a novel that is hard to put down once the reader begins because one is always wondering, “what next?” Definitely worthwhile.