Lion's Pride

By Debbie Jordan

From the back of the book:

“In 1911 Arizona, as Sheriff Paco Alaniz investigates the murder of Don Santiago Castillo de Leon, he must deal with the priest who seems to be more than a confessor to the distraught widow, a runaway teenager who’s promised as the tenth bride to the leader of renegade Mormon polygamists, an ex-Mormon gambler who wants to save his sister and the woman he loves from the husband they both share, and a vicious mountain lion threatening inhabitants of the Territory.”

Debbie Jordan did a great job writing this book because she obviously did her homework. She takes the reader back in time 100 years ago when the west was still considered “wild.” Arizona wasn’t a state as yet and marshal law ruled. Even though the law was directly tied to the U.S., there were still discrepancies.

I enjoyed reading this book and most people who like historical fiction should get something out of the story. It’s well written and fast-paced. It’s also an interesting tale of “murder, runaways, gamblers, adultery and mountain lions.”

I do wish, however, that Ms. Jordan has written two separate books rather than telling two stories in one. That would have allowed her to focus more on each and provide additional details. True, the two are interconnected, but there were times when the switching back and forth was somewhat confusing and redundant.

All in all, though, it’s a good read and I think you’ll enjoy it.