There have been few books that have been as disappointing for me as this one. From the very beginning, the reader knows who the romantic couple is, who the bad guys are, and very quickly, how the bad guys were going to get caught. There wasn't a lot of guess work for the reader. It was less than satisfying to read this book.
Ruth Anniston had been attacked by a mountain lion in an effort to save one of her Harvey Girl waitresses. She bears scars on her face and her leg. Frank Henderson is the head chef at the El Tovar Harvey House and he is in love with Ruth.
When discrepancies start showing up in the books for the El Tovar, Mr. Owens asks Ruth and Frank to find where the money is going. They spend all their spare time together to try to piece out the mystery. Oliver Benton has a vendetta against Fred Harvey, who has passed on by this time, but Oliver wants to bring down the Harvey House empire. He enlists Howard, a chef, to infiltrate El Tovar and shortchange the supplies, cook the books, and embezzle from the restaurant.
All of this is revealed in the first quarter of the book. The rest of it meanders toward the ultimate ending of bringing down the bad guys, Ruth and Frank getting together, and the Harvey House is saved.
I've read a couple of Kimberley Woodhouse's other books and found them to be much more interesting than this one. This is the final book of the series and to me it feels like she was just trying to get through the series to move on to bigger and better things. Someone else may love this book and find it more engaging. This is just how the book struck me. It just missed the mark for me.
Two Stars
Bethany House Publishing provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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