Lila Culhane is coping, somehow, with her late husband’s ranch in Texas. The FBI and local police are still searching for his killer. LIE FOR A MILLION is the second in a series called Rivalries, and I had not read the first book. There are several separate threads already well established and it does seem too complicated at times. If you have read the early part of the tale, this should not be a problem.
Lila’s mourning for her husband Frank Culhane is tempered by the knowledge that Frank, who split from his first wife to marry Lila, was cheating on her. She didn’t realise he was a serial womaniser. Now, a young waitress called Crystal claims she is expecting Frank’s baby. Madeleine, the indignant first wife, is set on taking the ranch away from Lila. Another potential claimant is Frank’s grown daughter, Jasmine. Legal matters are sure to take a lot of time and money.
The ranch manager, Roper McKenna, has admired Lila from afar, and he knows he can’t start a relationship with her because the FBI would assume they connived to cause Frank’s death as if she would look twice at a staff member anyway. Guess what? Yes, you guessed it. I’m sure they both deserve happiness, but it does seem untimely. Roper hopes to compete in the upcoming championships, the Run for a Million reining competition. The issue of which horse to take involves both Roper and Lila. Keeping a sharp eye on the pair is FBI Detective Sam Rafferty.
There are two main villains in this story. One is a no-account drug dealer and woman-beater. The other is the neighbour who runs a hunting ranch and imports a circus elephant so someone can pay to shoot her. Obviously, this is a serious wrong, and the reader will be engaged with this side issue even while they watch the FBI not making much progress.
I am baffled when Lila knows her housekeeper is spying on her for Madeleine, she doesn’t give the lady notice. Who wants an untrustworthy member of staff? Madeleine is another cipher, having taken up with a big-time gangster. Why? While the Rivalries series, which starts with One in a Million, concludes some portions in LIE FOR A MILLION, the final accounting is yet to be provided. The credited author is famous romance author Janet Dailey, but the work was completed after her death. I tend to think there are too many stock characters and not enough love for the landscape to be a genuine Dailey. But maybe the more modern approach will suit today’s younger readers.
From the bestselling First Lady of Romance comes Texas-style drama, scandal, and corruption set in the world of ranching, when the death of a powerful man leaves families at odds, a high-stakes reining competition in the balance, and forbidden attractions in the mix. Will appeal to readers of Robyn Carr, Danielle Steel, and Linda Lael Miller.
Lila Culhane’s life is in turmoil. As if coping with the murder of her husband isn’t enough, now the glamorous young widow has Frank’s even younger mistress to contend with. His pregnant mistress. Crystal. But Lila hasn’t got time for more heartache. With everyone grasping to profit from Frank’s death, including fighting for possession of her beloved ranch, she needs leverage for the battle.
As it turns out, Crystal may be carrying just the edge Lila requires: an heir. Crystal offers to let Lila adopt Frank’s baby—for a price. Lila is willing to consider it—pending a paternity test. Until then, she’ll focus on her role in the upcoming high-stakes Run for a Million reining competition, and her ranch manager—and lover—Roper McKenna.
Rugged, hardworking, and talented, Roper is finally getting his dream to ride in the prized competition. Lila expects he’ll choose the Culhane’s legendary stallion, One in a Million, as his mount. But when he considers other offers, she finds herself questioning his loyalty . . .
Meanwhile, Detective Sam Rafferty’s list of suspects in Frank’s murder is growing. Besides Roper and Lila, Frank’s bitter first wife and his sparring extended family, there are adversarial neighbors, ex-lovers, and perhaps even the woman Sam loves—Frank’s own pampered daughter, Jasmine. And as the surprises multiply, a killer remains free to strike again—if these rivals don’t kill each other first . . .
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