CALDER BORN, CALDER BRED

by Janet Dailey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1983

Somehow, with almost as many planes as horses, this present-day windup to the Calder saga doesn't have quite the Yippee Ti Yi Yo spirit of its predecessors--but once again Dailey does an energetic job with all the old ranch-melodrama standbys. The hero this time around is Chase Calder's son Ty, who, after childhood in California with mother Maggie, arrives at the Triple C ranch as a teenager: he brings his folks together again. But Ty remains somewhat distant from the seasoned hands, especially when he insists on going to college--where he meets gorgeous, greedy Tara, Dior-wearing daughter of creepy Texas moneyman E. J. Dyson. (Dyson's too-quiet partner Striklin is often seen cleaning his nails with a knife.) And soon, despite a drunken one-night stand with adoring ranch-gal Jessy Niles, Ty marries Tara. . . as her father E.J. hatches a plot to snatch a wealth of Iow-sulphur coal by strip-mining on a portion of the Triple C ranch. Will the Calders agree to such a plan? Of course not--despite pressure from a dirty-dealing Senator. But then Chase is hurt in a plane crash (Maggie is killed), Ty needs money to keep the ranch going, and Ty's sister gets kidnapped--all of which leads to a stand-off between the cowboys and E.J.'s trucks. So it's finally going to be a hard decision for Ty, who has meanwhile turned to Jessy (of course) for relief from his cold marriage. Complete with a surprise appearance/confession by Ty's Uncle Culley (recently sprung from the asylum) and an all-upbeat ending: endearingly predictable eater-action under those grand Montana skies--and a satisfying fadeout for the liveliest recent western/family series.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1983

ISBN: 1439189196

Page Count: -

Publisher: Pocket Books--dist. by Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION