First, the front cover of this book was a total turn-off; I cannot tell why, it just did not appeal to me. This story is about a town that tries to stay alive after the gold rush fails to fill folk's pockets. The prospectors have moved on and the town tries to encourage others to come to their little town. The Ladies Shooting Club emerges after the sheriff dies under mysterious circumstances. I cannot imagine that so many women did not know how to shoot during this time in American history.
I read a great number of books each year and am always looking for a unique plotline. Certainly having the town's ladies (and other women) join together to learn to shoot (to help protect the town) qualifies as unique. However, I felt the story dragged. I really didn't feel any compelling reason to finish the book; it just wasn't that interesting. The murderer wasn't much of a surprise and the ending was just ridiculous.
Enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the next one. Clean, funny and totally enjoyable. Easy read and fun to see what's going to happen next. Enjoyable characters and interesting views from the early days. Nice to see the values they held and what they did with all their troubles. The town coming together was a nice part of the story. Hope to see more of them in future stories.
I just love these western settings. This small former mining town has such a variety of characters, you just never know what to expect. After the sheriff is killed, the ladies turn to Gert to show them how to handle a gun for their own safety. Of course the men don't like that their women folk get together every week to practice shooting. But new bonds are made among the women, and they prove their abilities. And a little romance thrown in never hurts.