Ida Grove in the late 1800's was like a lot of other small communities or towns popping up in the U.S. They had their requisite mercantile, bank, newspaper, craftsmen and assortment of citizens from near and far. In every small town there were a number of people who settled there for various reasons -- some good, some bad, some happy, some sad and for some desperation. Lark Renault settled there to start over and gain some normalcy and respect. Ross Santana settled there for some peace and privacy. Little did either know that the coincidence of both of them ending up in Ida Grove was soon to challenge their new found wellbeing. They shared a history that neither realized until it put them and their very standard of living in peril. Having paid her debt to society in prison for several years Lark was savoring her freedom and enjoying the anonymity of being a respected and liked member of her town. Her very capable work at the town bank earned her the respect of the bank owner as well as added responsibility. Of course little did they know that behind the prim exterior of Lark Renault was the renowned bank robber Wild Red part of the Reno gang. Wild Red was just a teenager when she followed her male cousins on their rampage of robbery and once caught she was willingly rehabilitated. With her cousins lynched or imprisoned she had no reason to think anyone would be interested in searching out her whereabouts. But there was someone with some unfinished business to settle with one of the last members of the Reno gang and he wasn't above killing to get what he wanted. Ross Santana was somewhat sheltered by the quiet existence he had carved out but once drawn into Lark's mess he realized that he had a stake in the ensuing chaos.

I love anything about the old west and the rustic communities that developed in rather harsh times, times when a persons most valuable asset was their drive and perseverance. In WANTED! Pam Crooks put you smack in the middle of the adventures of Lark and Ross. Neither is portrayed as perfect, each has their own ghosts to grapple with and there is no easy solution as the past catches up with them both. Just as you are getting optimistic for a happy ending there is the ongoing problem of some very important issues that have to be addressed. So Crooks does not insult the reader and find any easy solutions. Instead she figures out a way to carve out an interesting story with a tremendous amount of factors that can not be just waved away and gives the reader an intelligently written tale with a believable end. It's a great book to enjoy while sitting at the pool and relaxing.

Book Summary

Lark Renault, alias Wild Red, is a former outlaw turned respectable. She loves her life as an honest, law-abiding bank teller in a small Iowa town.

But her past comes back to haunt her. His name is Catfish Jack, and he wants the money she stole and buried when she rode with the infamous Reno gang.

Only one man can keep her safe. Ross Santana, the bounty hunter determined to arrest her and close the only case he'd never solved.

But to do so would destroy her--and the unexpected love they'd found.