Review: Range War Legacy by Patricia Stinson

Range War Legacy by Patricia Stinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The cattlemen and sheep herders of early 20th century Oregon had their disputes, mostly over grazing rights, and this is the fabric onto which Stinson weaves her story. Molly is very young when her life is caught up in this dispute. She witnesses a murder, but dares not speak about it out of fear of reprisals. This secret affects her and her loved ones for the rest of her life.

The dialogue of the story is raw, and really gives you a sense of the roughness of the era. I love the way Stinson keeps the tension of the secret going. At each point in her life, Molly weighs up the pros and cons of telling, and her decisions have consequences. The screen door of her family home echoes the theme as it is banged open and shut.

I enjoyed learning about this period of history, and Stinson gives us lots of interesting tidbits, such as the way sheep dogs are trained. I recommend this book for lovers of the West, of historical fiction, and of good, home-spun tales.

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