Season of Fear

by Christine Bush

Robin North takes the job as housekeeper at the infamous Ridley Ranch in Montana on pretext. Her cousin assures her that her make up references and the letter of introduction will never be discovered. While fallen instantly in love with the "Big Sky Country" and ranch life in general, the Ridley family is another matter. Handsom Alex Ridley has been a grieving widower for 5 years. The arrogant teenage kids and their lonely little brother are aloof and full of trouble, Gloom and sadness hover over the ranch and all its inhabitants. Even the townsfolk steer clear, as fear and doubt fester. How did Laura Ridley die? While ruled an accidental death, no one really believes that is the truth. Who killed Laura Ridley? Robin comes to care for this family, despite the common seances advice to run away. Can she solve the mystery of Laura's death, and restore peace to Ridley Ranch? As she begins to discover what happened, will she lose her own life if she stays? Or even worse, what if the killer turns out to be Alex, the complex and rugged rancher who has secretly stolen her heart? A sweet, old fashioned romantic mystery to warm your heart..

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Fiction, Romantic Suspense

Hardcover

First published July 1, 1983

About the author

Let me tell you a story! I love to write. My books are filled with characters that are near and dear to my heart, and my supreme wish is that you will feel the same way after you read about them.

My romantic mysteries contain an exciting array of love stories, different ages, different locations, even a few taking place in a different time. They are sweet romances, which means that even though those great feelings of attraction and passion as love builds between two people flow through my stories, you will not find any graphic descriptions of sexual interludes (and no graphic violence either, for that matter)on the page.

The list here includes short stories as well, a fun way to enjoy a romance when time is short.

New to the list are my new novels for middle grade students (grade 4-5-6), a series of touching and fun stories beginning with "Isabel the Invisible" in the series called "The Kids of Room 6A", and a soon to appear mystery and adventure series set in 1890 Montana. Stay tuned!

I'm a teacher and family therapist as well as a writer. I truly believe that love, in all its forms, is what makes life worthwhile, and that is a lot of the motivation that keeps me writing. I hope you enjoy what you find here! I love to hear from readers. Contact me at ChristineABush@aol.com

Reviews

[Skeeter Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, a romance with lots of mystery throughout. Location is Montana, I love to read stories set in Montana. Robin, after the death of her father in Chicago, takes a job on a Montana ranch as a housekeeper/bookkeeper/overseer of the family. When she arrives, she is warned of the mysteries surrounding the ranch and the family. Robin sets out to clear up the rumors and mysteries, feeling like an outsider, she works her way into the hearts of the residents of the ranch. Facing danger for digging to much into the past, she tries to prove that the death of the ranch owner's wife was not of his doing. Great story.

[Melissa’s Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I thought that there wasn't enough interaction with the characters that end up together to make it believable. I know that the author was probably trying to keep as many people as suspects as possible, but after all the build up, I just thought that the ending was somewhat of a let down. The premise was really good, but I felt like the author could have done more with the story.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon. Have to read a library ebook first & review it first.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading on my Kindle. Fast moving, nice story.

[Bella Doerres · Rating 3 out of 5]

to be added

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Gothic-type romantic suspense set on a ranch. Is the man Robin is beginning to care for the hero she perceives or a possible murderer?

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The romantic ending to this story was too abrupt to be believable.