BLACK HILLS

Author: Nora Roberts ISBN: 9780399155819 7/2009 SUSPENSE Publisher: PUTNAM

Set in South Dakota... Cooper Sullivan and Lil Chance first meet as children when Coop spends the summer at his grandparents' ranch, but overt he years their relationship develops from child's play into an adult romance. The two share their dreams and their passions each summer, but its one horrible event that will haunt them forever—the terrible discovery of a hiker's body. Twelve years later, Coop is living in New York and Lil is pursuing her career with wildlife resource, but news of recent crimes and the memory of that unsolved death draw them back to the hills of their childhood. Somehow they know the crimes are linked, and together they hope to put a stop to it... if they can keep from becoming victims themselves.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Black Hills isn’t up there with my favorite Roberts novels such as ANGELS FALL, REMEMBER WHEN and last year’s TRIBUTE, but it has quite a bit to recommend it. I really enjoyed the characterizations in general (though most of the story people sound the same in this not-quite-final draft), and the setting is exquisite. Also, the research was definitely done on wildlife refuges, and the animals are fully formed characters all by themselves, which is really impressive.

On the other hand, BLACK HILLS is written to the Roberts' romantic suspense formula. I became very aware of the formula when I watched several Roberts novel-based movies back-to-back. Included are over-achieving young characters; a certain cocky, alpha kind of hero and determined heroine; bad guy stalking heroine in the background (though with great motivations); lots of intense detail about professional lives and how the characters are improving their businesses or careers; and semi-stock supporting characters. If you love the formula as I usually do, you’ll enjoy the book.

I do wish the author would avoid presenting chapters of back story leading up to the beginning of the romance. She doesn’t always do this, but I find it weakens the books where she does. In this book, the story doesn’t really begin until page 83. It would be a normal length romance novel without the lengthy prelude, but frankly, all of that extra stuff that doesn’t interest me makes me a bit weary.

I didn’t really wear out, though, until the wall-banging book moment in chapter 20. Roberts is very aware that the moment is a wall-banging one, but it certainly doesn’t lead to me considering Cooper one of my favorite romance heroes.

The ending is taut and suspenseful, though. Read to the end!

Heather Hiestand