I love me a good western and I was so happy to snatch this book up! The story started off strong and gripping with a mystery involving dual murders. As is at the heart of many westerns, the rising tentions between homesteaders and natives brought another level of depth to the novel and mystery too. I was pleasantly surprised to find not one, but two strong women at the forefront of this story: Dulcinea, claiming her families land after her husband’s death, and Rose, striving to avenge her murdered family. The story is lovely, gritty, and brutal like all good westerns, but unfortunately the plot dragged on just a little too long and the mystery lost its edge by the end