Everett is a new stock detective who is sent to a small town in the Crazy Mountains to investigate a series of crimes. Everything seems tied to the bad boy cowboy Lawrence, who runs one of the ranches. Everett is drawn to Lawrence in more than one way and when he offers his help on the case, it's possible either the Crazies could claim their next victim or Everett could find all the answers he's looking for. 

Everett is recovering from losing his partner while serving overseas and there are a lot of parallels to the situation he now finds himself in. He tends to lose himself to the flashbacks but Law is able to help him ground himself in the present. Law didn't think he'd ever find the life partner he truly wanted until Everett blew into town. They fall fast and there's not a huge buildup, but they're really good together and just click. The ending is kind of low key but I like to think they're still together in those Crazy Mountains.  

I liked the story all around, it just wasn't as deep as some of the other Tal books I've read. The romance was actually kind of shallow and I could've done with more of it. The whole story was pretty interesting, but I really enjoyed the how the setting was written. I've never read a book from this area before or with Montana ranchers and I felt immersed in the small town ranching drama. I feel like it's a book you read on vacation or something as some fun entertainment without getting too emotionally involved. It was pretty cool, but not my favorite. 

Read if you like: 
• cowboy romance                                     
• hurt/comfort          
• mystery/suspense   

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