The Sheriff's Surrender by Susan Page Davis

The Sheriff's Surrender by Susan Page Davis ISBN-13: 978-1602605626 Kindle: 323 pages Publisher: Tea Tin Press Released: December 18th 2016

Source: Free ebook.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Gert Dooley can shoot the tail feathers off a jay at a hundred yards, but she wants rancher Ethan Chapman to see she’s more than a crack shot with a firearm. When the sheriff of Fergus, Idaho is murdered, Ethan is named his replacement. The women in town are scared to think a murderer is loose among them, so Gert forms the Ladies' Shooting Club to teach them how to protect themselves, their homes, and their families.

Ethan didn’t ask to be named sheriff, but he accepts the position and takes on the investigation of the former lawman’s mysterious death. Now he’s between a rock and a hard place—being pressured by the town’s women to restore order and safety to Fergus, and being pressured by the men who insist Ethan disband the upstart Ladies’ Shooting Club. Another murder sends Ethan to Gert and her ladies for help in the investigation. But will the Ladies’ Shooting Club unmask the murderer before he strikes again?


My Review:
The Sheriff's Surrender is a humorous Christian romance (with the mystery) set in 1885 in Idaho. Ethan and his friend tried to solve a murder even though they had no training and only a few clues. The women of the town went to Gert to learn how to shoot to protect themselves, which some of the men don't like. Ethan faced pressure from these men to stop the gun practice but the women pressured him to allow them to help patrol the town until the murderer was caught. These women were capable, interesting characters that started to bond despite their many differences. The light humor came from these differences and amusing situations. Ethan and Gert admired each other's character and worked well together.

My only problem with the story is that some things were left unresolved. Gert figured out whodunit (which is eventually guessable from the clues) and several women were involved in the showdown. We're not told exactly who did what in the critical moments. Even though there were witnesses, two women remained in jail at the end, one of whom claimed to have helped. I don't understand why this was left unclear and unresolved. There was no sex about language. Overall, I recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.