The Wind Comes Sweeping
Marcia Preston
Mira, Apr 2009, $13.95
ISBN: 9780778326304
Marik Youngblood fled Oklahoma after her family forced her to give up her baby for adoption. When her father died, Marik returns home saddled with a failed cattle ranch and a debt that in her mind rivals the Feds. She would prefer to get rid of the financial elephant but made a death bed promise to her dad. Desperate to bring in income, she leases part of the Killdeer Ridge Ranch to a firm building windmills in order to use wind turbines to create energy.
Marik’s action angers Burt and Lena Gurdman, who own the neighboring ranch. However, Marik is unconcerned with the Gurdman ire as she has bills to pay until a dead bald eagle is found by a windmill; she believes Burt is trying to use the endangered species act to force her to shut down. However, the excavation is actually halted when the remains of an infant is dug up. Marik fears the unmarked grave contained her child whom she was told was living a happy life. Needing to know the truth Marik begins to investigate further upsetting the Gurdman couple especially an outraged Burt.
Although the pace starts slow, once Marik begins her amateur sleuthing, the story line accelerates into a fast-paced suspense with romance in the air. Marik is terrific as she tries to save her heritage, learn who the remains are, and praying it is not her daughter whom she hopes to one day meet. Marcia Preston writes an interesting Oklahoma character driven contemporary tale with an intriguing subplot re windmills on the plains that oilman T-Boone Pickens would appreciate.
Harriet Klausner
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