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Table of Contents
About The Book
From the #1 bestselling author of Finding Flora comes another gripping historical novel set in the spectacular Western Canadian wilderness, perfect for fans of Yellowstone and Lonesome Dove.
English sisters Verity and Charity Tait are orphaned when their parents die of smallpox. Verity finds work as a photo retoucher and struggles to raise her impulsive younger sister, but in 1890 Charity elopes with a Methodist missionary bound for the North-West Territories (now Saskatchewan and Alberta). When Verity learns that the husband is dead and her sister has disappeared, she leaves London and sets out to find her.
Travelling across Canada on the train, she meets a wealthy British gentleman who invites her to reside at his cattle ranch near Maple Creek while she conducts her search. She places an advertisement in the local newspaper and follows every lead in vain. Yet in the midst of her mounting anxiety, Verity is struck with the splendor of the prairies and her newfound freedom from social convention. She finds herself drawn to the excitement and romance of ranch life—and to one rugged cowboy in particular.
When two young women are found strangled, a prostitute in Medicine Hat and an unidentified female on the banks of the Whitemud River, Verity’s search takes on a greater urgency. Both murders bear the hallmarks of an earlier crime in Montreal, pointing to a serial killer. Was Charity one of his victims—and could Verity be next?
English sisters Verity and Charity Tait are orphaned when their parents die of smallpox. Verity finds work as a photo retoucher and struggles to raise her impulsive younger sister, but in 1890 Charity elopes with a Methodist missionary bound for the North-West Territories (now Saskatchewan and Alberta). When Verity learns that the husband is dead and her sister has disappeared, she leaves London and sets out to find her.
Travelling across Canada on the train, she meets a wealthy British gentleman who invites her to reside at his cattle ranch near Maple Creek while she conducts her search. She places an advertisement in the local newspaper and follows every lead in vain. Yet in the midst of her mounting anxiety, Verity is struck with the splendor of the prairies and her newfound freedom from social convention. She finds herself drawn to the excitement and romance of ranch life—and to one rugged cowboy in particular.
When two young women are found strangled, a prostitute in Medicine Hat and an unidentified female on the banks of the Whitemud River, Verity’s search takes on a greater urgency. Both murders bear the hallmarks of an earlier crime in Montreal, pointing to a serial killer. Was Charity one of his victims—and could Verity be next?
About The Author
Photograph credit Kelsey Verboom
Elinor Florence grew up on a Saskatchewan farm and earned degrees in English and journalism. She worked for newspapers in all four Western provinces, spent eight years writing for Reader’s Digest Canada, and even published her own award-winning community newspaper. Her first novel, Bird’s Eye View, was a national bestseller, while the second, Wildwood, was named one of Kobo’s Hundred Most Popular Canadian Books of All Time. Finding Flora, an instant #1 national bestseller and a Heather’s Pick, was inspired by her own Scottish homesteading and Indigenous ancestors. She is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia and makes her home in the mountain resort of Invermere.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 13, 2027)
- Length: 384 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668227640
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Raves and Reviews
“I was swept away to the to the wild and wide-open spaces of Alberta, circa 1905, by the magic of Elinor Florence’s writing. I cheered for Flora every step of the way in this epic tale as big as the prairie sky.”
— LESLIE HOWARD, bestselling author of The Brideship Wife
“Historical fiction readers will love this fascinating, incredibly researched story of survival and courage honouring the strength and resilience of early female pioneers.”
— GENEVIEVE GRAHAM, #1 bestselling author of The Secret Keeper
“Elinor Florence has vividly captured a time in Canadian history when life for so many people was physically very hard and rigid demarcations separated both class and gender. The struggle of her female characters to forge a life for themselves against daunting odds grabs our sympathy and doesn’t let go until the totally satisfying ending. They are women I, for one, would love to hang out with.”
— MAUREEN JENNINGS, award-winning author of the Murdoch Mysteries books
“A gorgeously written and researched story of love and survival, following a plucky Scotswoman fleeing her abusive husband, and a powerfully diverse group of women homesteaders on the prairie in the early 1900s. You will fall in love with the prairies and this wonderful book”
— MAIA CARON, author of The Last Secret and Song of Batoche
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