Shooter’s Treasure by Kay A. Oliver

A seemingly pastoral tale of aging gracefully and finding long-sought peace, Shooter’s Treasure by Kay A. Oliver soon spirals into a rugged and thrilling love story with a healthy serving of wild west action.

Kristy Oaks – “Shooter” to her friends – is a divorced academic and a lifelong skeptic transitioning into retirement, but her newly purchased ranch holds dangerous secrets hidden just below the topsoil. She is quick to find indigenous allies and a local love interest, but her arrival also brings suspicion, gossip, thieves, and dirty cops who are led by little more than greed. Never one to back down from a fight, Shooter lives up to her nickname in defense of her tiny piece of heaven, and her tremendous pile of treasure, in this fast-moving tale of love and money.

While the characters are engaging, the storytelling is a bit on the nose, as there is no doubt from the first few chapters that Kristy and Brandon will be the romantic nexus of the story. The omnipotent narration doesn’t allow for much mystery in the intentions of the characters, which leads to quite a bit of telling, rather than showing. There are a few twists in the unfolding of the plot, but even the most suspenseful moments are brief and rapidly resolved, so the book could be more drawn out without sacrificing the fast pace. Some technical editing is also needed for sloppy errors – for instance, “know” instead of “no”- and some of the flat dialogue could be spiced up with more personality.

That said, for an easy read that is heartwarming and occasionally heart-pounding, Oliver delivers a wild slice of Western fiction.