This may be a traumatic story for some to read, reflecting on how we view and discuss rape victims. In SHE CRIES a sports star with a wild reputation is accused by a young woman of having brutally raped her in his hotel room. The sport is pro football, so I didn't understand the first few pages except that this star is looking for a woman to release his feelings of anger and spite after a bad game. He is approached by a lady sports agent who later makes a solid, creditable witness. Curiously, this sportsman revels in having injured as many opponents on the field as possible.

The story proper starts with the media law agency which handles footballer Jeremy Connors, despairing of his increasingly violent outbursts and deciding to pack him off to the back of beyond until the rape issue comes to trial. The sports agent Jessica Stanten's name is being dirtied and the lawyers, Mike and Sam, discuss her in disparaging terms, saying that she was looking for some star to accuse of rape in order to sue. She was no innocent.

Time out at the Rainwash Ranch in Utah, on a dude cattle drive, might cool everyone's tempers so Mike and Sam fly to Salt Lake City. At the ranch scenes of breathtaking beauty await, and the cattle are driven by Kali, a lean, muscular mother and her capable daughters from twelve to eight years old. The lawyers are just settling in when Connors arrives - a testosterone-fuelled footballer. Kali finds him patronising, arrogant and bullying. He's no gentleman. Nobody is prepared for a press helicopter to spook horses and cattle alike on the drive.

The rape victim, Jessica, is receiving death threats. She had been trying to sign the sports star to her agency and only after being raped realised that Connors had probably treated any number of girls brutally, with his college and team hushing up the matter. Hard as it may be, she believes it's time he was stopped.

Alexandra Allred has never shied away from tough topics. Through her stories she's brought us small town life, industrial pollution and serial killers on interstate roads. In SHE CRIES out-of-control celebrities are grist to her mill when women are their victims. With strong, many- sided characters and horses so real you can stroke them, she never ceases to hold our attention. Once again Allred has written a superb hard-hitting story with much food for thought.

Book Summary

With a plot that could have easily been pulled from newspaper headlines, She Cries is both a thriller and a surprising love story that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

When Kali Jorgensen is left to raise her three daughters alone after her husband is killed in the war in Afghanistan, she takes up residence in Horse Canyon, Utah, heading up a working ranch with her in-laws for cattle drives for celebrities and CEOs. Surrounded by breathtaking sunsets and rich family history, Rainwash Ranch is the only place Kali wants to live. Along with her family, her horse, Star, is her greatest companion. Kali could easily live in the saddle and never miss a day of city lights blaring and breaking news from a television.

Her solitude is quickly broken as unwanted worldwide attention is thrust upon the ranch when professional athlete, Jeremy Connors, shows up for the cattle drive at Rainwash Ranch with his legal dream team and swirling accusations of rape and murder.

While Connors' presence is a concern for Kali and her daughters, she soon realizes that it is Connors' fans and his team of lawyers who may prove to be the most dangerous to the Jorgensens.

The personalities of horses and lawyers may be well matched but, the cowboys are pitted against the city slickers for the ride of a lifetime. And for Kali, it is her greatest test, not only as an instructor but also a mother.

She Cries is a nail-biting, suspense novel that will leave you signing up for a cattle drive and falling in love with the most unlikely of heroes. Even if you've never ridden a horse, you'll come to understand the power of these magnificent animals and how hope can keep you alive.

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