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All Too Human: A Saga of Deadly Deceptions and Dark Desires
In 1905, Rebecca Bryan, the first woman to practice law in Kalispell, Montana, is sent by her uncle/ senior partner to a remote hunting lodge near the Canadian border. She's to find the missing will of his deceased longtime love, the wealthy artist Lucinda Cale. After a broken coach wheel forces her to set out in the winter forest at night, she meets Lucinda's compelling son, Bretton. Next morning, he takes her to Eagle Mountain where she meets the rest of the dysfunctional Cale family. There Rebecca also discovers Lucinda's hidden diaries, which tell of a naive bride's victimization that hardened her into a manipulative, murderous matriarch. Lucinda's estate is large. Each heir is desperate. Those involved reveal themselves to be All Too Human .
322 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 29, 2020
WOW! An intriguing story of passion, mystery, deception, loyalty, and redemption. Karen Wills creates strong and complex characters. Her vivid descriptions are fresh and original. Ms Wills is a masterful writer who skillfully shares her extensive knowledge and understanding of the world and the human condition. Bravo!
November 16, 2020
Karen Wills’ memorable novel, All Too Human: A Saga of Deadly Deceptions and Dark Desires, takes place in 1905, Montana.
Rebecca Bryan is a lawyer in partnership with her beloved Uncle Max. Uncle Max has asked Rebecca to go to the home of an old friend, Lucinda Cale, recently deceased, to locate the woman’s last will and testament and to help Lucinda’s family sort out her estate. Rebecca travels from their home in Kalispell, Montana to Cale’s home, a rustic wilderness hunting lodge near the Montana boomtown of Jennings.
After a harrowing trip in a blizzard, she finally arrives to find a family not necessarily mourning the matriarch as much as one who seems relieved to be without the old woman’s demands. Except for Amy. Lucinda’s thirteen year-old granddaughter was close to her grandmother, but is distant and disdainful to others, especially to Rebecca. Lucinda Cale’s oldest son Damon is friendly to Rebecca and grateful that she would try to help them find his mother’s will. Claudia, Damon’s gentle, pregnant wife, welcomes Rebecca, as does their little son, Teddy. Also with the family is Bretton, Lucinda’s mysterious, moody second son, who is there only for the funeral.
In searching for the will, Rebecca comes across Lucinda’s hidden diaries, journals that cover many years, starting in 1866. They tell of a young woman finding freedom from family scandals and poverty when she marries dashing, wealthy Garrett Cale. She describes their journey from St. Louis to the Northwest mining country in Montana. But the young woman’s life becomes one of physical and emotional abuse and dark deceptions. Lucinda becomes a schemer using her beauty to control those around her, actions that eventually affect her children and grandchildren.
Author Karen Wills captures Montana’s wilderness with breath-taking prose. Her characters are believable in their strengths, weaknesses, vulnerability and violent actions. I thoroughly enjoyed All Too Human.
Rebecca Bryan is a lawyer in partnership with her beloved Uncle Max. Uncle Max has asked Rebecca to go to the home of an old friend, Lucinda Cale, recently deceased, to locate the woman’s last will and testament and to help Lucinda’s family sort out her estate. Rebecca travels from their home in Kalispell, Montana to Cale’s home, a rustic wilderness hunting lodge near the Montana boomtown of Jennings.
After a harrowing trip in a blizzard, she finally arrives to find a family not necessarily mourning the matriarch as much as one who seems relieved to be without the old woman’s demands. Except for Amy. Lucinda’s thirteen year-old granddaughter was close to her grandmother, but is distant and disdainful to others, especially to Rebecca. Lucinda Cale’s oldest son Damon is friendly to Rebecca and grateful that she would try to help them find his mother’s will. Claudia, Damon’s gentle, pregnant wife, welcomes Rebecca, as does their little son, Teddy. Also with the family is Bretton, Lucinda’s mysterious, moody second son, who is there only for the funeral.
In searching for the will, Rebecca comes across Lucinda’s hidden diaries, journals that cover many years, starting in 1866. They tell of a young woman finding freedom from family scandals and poverty when she marries dashing, wealthy Garrett Cale. She describes their journey from St. Louis to the Northwest mining country in Montana. But the young woman’s life becomes one of physical and emotional abuse and dark deceptions. Lucinda becomes a schemer using her beauty to control those around her, actions that eventually affect her children and grandchildren.
Author Karen Wills captures Montana’s wilderness with breath-taking prose. Her characters are believable in their strengths, weaknesses, vulnerability and violent actions. I thoroughly enjoyed All Too Human.
June 17, 2023
First off -- I'm biased!! I'm related to the author and also Goodreads friends with her.
At any rate, this is out of my usual genre but was a page turner. I'm very familiar with the area the book is set in, and indeed one of the things that creeps me out about Montana is the way strange social dynamics can thrive in privacy in the wilderness. The earlier-generation story of a sweet young bride and her evolution, in an environment deadly enough to allow for almost-murders to be accomplished through simple inaction, was a bit hard to read for that reason. The later-generation story serves largely as a frame for that first one, but also explores intergenerational trauma, and showcases a woman who has wider choices and more tools available to her. Reader, she uses them. It's quite nice to see a heroine who has some awareness of the sensible thing, and thinks about it, when she stumbles across the hot, brooding, incompatible man. I'd say that in general the author does a good job of teasing the reader with tropes and apparently foregone conclusions, without quite falling into them, and I enjoyed it every time. Also, extra credit for creepy stained glass windows.
(I don't really think Rebecca would have hired Bill Sauer to drive her anywhere the second time, though. Third time sure, if the second time went okay, but what happened in the middle? He should have been fired, into the sun.)
At any rate, this is out of my usual genre but was a page turner. I'm very familiar with the area the book is set in, and indeed one of the things that creeps me out about Montana is the way strange social dynamics can thrive in privacy in the wilderness. The earlier-generation story of a sweet young bride and her evolution, in an environment deadly enough to allow for almost-murders to be accomplished through simple inaction, was a bit hard to read for that reason. The later-generation story serves largely as a frame for that first one, but also explores intergenerational trauma, and showcases a woman who has wider choices and more tools available to her. Reader, she uses them. It's quite nice to see a heroine who has some awareness of the sensible thing, and thinks about it, when she stumbles across the hot, brooding, incompatible man. I'd say that in general the author does a good job of teasing the reader with tropes and apparently foregone conclusions, without quite falling into them, and I enjoyed it every time. Also, extra credit for creepy stained glass windows.
(I don't really think Rebecca would have hired Bill Sauer to drive her anywhere the second time, though. Third time sure, if the second time went okay, but what happened in the middle? He should have been fired, into the sun.)
November 26, 2019
All Too Human is a fantastic book! Difficult to put down. The story is a mix of love, mystery, and history. The decisions made by the strong women characters, Lucinda and Rebecca in two different generations help in understanding the difficult decisions women faced in each generation. I enjoyed the way we were able to see the history of Montana through this story. Through Lucinda’s diaries we experience the ruggedness of traveling out to Montana in a wagon train and we see how her marriage disintegrates over time while she struggles to survive. Through Rebecca we see a woman practicing law in 1903 in Montana and see the struggle she faces as she attempts to develop a reputation. I thought Wills was quite clever in introducing Lucinda to Rebecca and to readers through her diaries. We get to know her loves, her struggles and her family well – children and grandchildren. There are twist and turns that surprise and explain and always keep it interesting. I highly recommend this book.
November 26, 2019
If you’d like a beautifully rendered historical mystery that’s chock-full of strong, but tormented characters, this is the book for you. In “All Too Human”, Rebecca Bryan, the first woman lawyer in the boom-town of Kalispell, Montana at the turn of the 20th century, is tasked with locating the last Will and Testament of the Cale family’s domineering matriarch, Lucinda. Rebecca’s search leads her to the family’s remote hunting lodge deep in the unforgiving wilderness where many dark secrets gradually reveal themselves. The tale alternates between the story of Lucinda’s evolution from cheery young bride to manipulative woman, as told in her diaries, and Rebecca’s encounters with Lucinda’s deeply damaged decedents. Brutal winter storms, passionate love affairs and even a bit of mysticism fill-out this compelling story of flawed people seeking acceptance and redemption. Highly recommended!
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January 7, 2020All Too Human is a story of two strong women who walked two diverse roads in life— Rebecca, who worked to help her community and Lucinda, who manipulated others to meet her needs. As I read, I found both lives compelling and came to understand each as they lived in their discrete times and circumstances.
A well-known Montana artist, Charlie Russell, has been described as the only painter to accurately capture the Montana sky. In my opinion Karen Wills is the Charlie Russell of prose. Her descriptions of northwestern Montana are precisely and beautifully crafted.
Based on historical events the story is a study in human behavior with mystery and romance woven through. All Too Human is a gripping companion during cold winter nights.
A well-known Montana artist, Charlie Russell, has been described as the only painter to accurately capture the Montana sky. In my opinion Karen Wills is the Charlie Russell of prose. Her descriptions of northwestern Montana are precisely and beautifully crafted.
Based on historical events the story is a study in human behavior with mystery and romance woven through. All Too Human is a gripping companion during cold winter nights.
June 30, 2020
Love, Abuse, Betrayal
This historically authentic tale told by Rebecca Bryan, a woman establishing herself as a new attorney in 1905 frontier Montana, unveils the lives and destinies of two strong-willed women—Rebecca’s and that of her dead client, Lucinda Cale. Part mystery, part love story, the book offers a good read by showcasing dramatic, credible characters immersed in a time period of isolation and danger, but one, too, of opportunity for fulfillment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading All Too Human. Good job, Karen Wills.
This historically authentic tale told by Rebecca Bryan, a woman establishing herself as a new attorney in 1905 frontier Montana, unveils the lives and destinies of two strong-willed women—Rebecca’s and that of her dead client, Lucinda Cale. Part mystery, part love story, the book offers a good read by showcasing dramatic, credible characters immersed in a time period of isolation and danger, but one, too, of opportunity for fulfillment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading All Too Human. Good job, Karen Wills.
June 17, 2024
Wills captures Montana’s wilderness with breath-taking prose and this historical period with accuracy. Her characters are believable, but not necessarily likeable. Told with dual timelines-one young woman reading the other's diary, it's the story of two strong women ahead of their time. One becomes embittered and hardened over the years due to physical and emotional abuse. The other becomes stronger and more determined due to circumstances beyond her control. Many twists and turns made this a great read!
May 26, 2020
Loved her first book and loved this one- it is historical fiction but also a very tangled mystery of a novel with strong female characters. It takes place in 1905, but through diary entries goes back to right after the civil war. Wonderful characters, the wilds of Montana- what’s not to love?
January 1, 2022
Great book I read it in 2 days. Could not put it down.
August 11, 2025
it was a good suspense mystery..light read ..very good..not particularly awesome..but enjoyable
August 24, 2023
Great read actually couldn’t put it down. Based on a true story set in 1865-early 1900s in my favorite region of the country Kalispel MT. Crazy story of a manipulative beaten down woman with murder and intrigue and another woman tasked in finding her will. A bit too much sex in it for me but otherwise it would be a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read pal. 🤷🏼♀️
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews