A DEADLY PROMISE

In a follow-up to High Trail to Danger (1991), set in the Old West of 1879, Sarah fulfills her father's last wish by clearing him of a murder charge. In the process, she exposes a syndicate of powerful men who are systematically defrauding local, illiterate miners of their fortunes. Meanwhile, rivals for Sarah's heart, Jeremy and Clint, are the targets of her younger sister Susannah's flirtatious advances; Sarah makes a choice between the two, while she and Susannah also decide to reclaim a Chicago property taken over by their relatives. Nixon's hand is surer in this sequel, but the story suffers from the two-volume format: conflicts set forth earlier are artificially drawn out here. It all comes to a tidy finish, but not without exaggerated characterizations that border on caricature (if not stereotype)—a dumb Swede, an interfering landlady, the catty and manipulative younger sister. Despite several forays into historical fiction, this prolific author's forte remains suspense. (Fiction. 11+)