THE DOGS OF BABEL - PARKHURST   ¹   When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist Paul Iverson is wild with despair. In the days that follow, Paul becomes certain that Lexy's death was no accident. Strange clues have been left behind: unique, personal messages that only she could have left and that he is determined to decipher.So begins Paul's fantastic and even perilous search for the truth, as he abandons his everyday life to embark on a series of experiments designed to teach his dog Lorelei to communicate. Is this the project of a madman? Or does Lorelei really have something to tell him about the last afternoon of a woman he only thought he knew? At the same time, Paul obsessively recalls the early days of his love for Lexy and the ups and downs of life with the brilliant, sometimes unsettling woman who became his wife.

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THE LAST GOOD MAN - EAGLE   ²  The small town of Sunbonnet, Wyoming, isn't famous for much, but it can claim Savannah Stephens, who left home after high school and became a glamorous lingerie model. But now, several years after Savannah dropped out of the public eye, she has returned to Sunbonnet, hurting and destitute. She's accompanied by her six year old daughter, Claudia, who's a dead ringer for Kole Kills Crow, the town's former bad boy and current federal outlaw. Savannah doesn't want to talk about her abrupt exit from the modeling business, Claudia's father, or her plans for the future. She just wants to hide.

But Clay Keogh has other ideas. Kole's half brother and, once upon a time, Savannah's best friend, Clay has waited for Savannah all of his life. He owns a small cattle ranch but has a soft spot for all things equine. He is the best farrier in the region and has a habit of adopting sick, old or stray horses. He's ready to take in Savannah too, but she's not just any old stray to him - she's the love of his life. But things aren't so simple. Savannah is recovering from breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. She's not sure if the cancer is fully cured, and she doesn't believe she has anything to offer now that her only talent - her body - is forever marred. So she's willing to give Clay some of what he's been waiting for (including some extremely hot, almost frantic sex), but the rest of her is locked away, protected from additional harm.

Savannah isn't an easy character to like. As with most of this author's characters, she's finely drawn, and she comes fully alive for the reader. Problem is, for most of the book she is depressed, passive and totally self-absorbed, unable to see what Clay is offering her and unwilling to give him anything in return. As the book progressed, however, my attitude towards Savannah softened. I've never experienced breast cancer, thank god, nor has anyone close to me. But who's to say how I would react if I faced death and the loss of my livelihood as Savannah does? She has felt since childhood that her only value was physical, and breast cancer has devastated her emotionally. So while I sometimes wanted to slap her, I was also rooting for her to find some happiness as well.

The other "Eagle-eyed" characters in the book are dead-on and realistically portrayed as well. Both Clay's mother and his ex-wife are tough, hardened women but not entirely unsympathetic - in other words, real people. One of the most interesting characters, Kole Kills Crow, doesn't even make an appearance in the book, but his presence is felt throughout. Savannah's daughter, Claudia, seems a little too good to be true, but her precocious personality is understandable because she often serves as her mother's caretaker.

But the star of the book is definitely Clay Keogh. Who wouldn't fall in love with this man? Capable, patient, sexy, loyal to a fault - he truly fits the title role. At times I thought he deserved better than the self-centered Savannah, and I was glad when he acted less than saintly on several occasions when he was hurting from her slights. He's a natural-born giver, but he has to learn how to accept support from someone else. And when he's in a crisis, Savannah finally reaches out beyond herself and realizes that she can help him as much as he's helped her.

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much love to my loyal readers

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