Kudos for Harper's Bluff

It seems there are bad guys even in Ohio, and we meet them in Susan Lanning’s gripping romantic mystery, Harper’s Bluff. The sly and cruel characters move with heavy-handed self-interest in this novel of a small Ohio town whose citizens are struggling with whether to allow casinos on their riverbank. Two women oppose the gambling—the old visionary, Asa, and the plucky radio-station owner, Harper—because it would mean sacrificing their beautiful land. Issues of the impact of gambling on communities also become part of the fight.

The women and their supporters have enough courage to resist threats and cruelty, but the conflict leads to tragedy. The story moves in an exciting arc to its close, keeping this reader on edge. Who was the father of the crippled girl? Who killed the goats? What happened years back at the high school? The sexual tension and the background of a well-defined landscape add passion and color to this thriller, and Lanning (a member of Professional Writers of Prescott) has a special talent for developing minor characters who emerge with lively energy as do the pets, who seem to be minor characters themselves.

Pack this book on your next trip. I hoped it could keep me entertained on a recent stay in Albuquerque, and I found it the perfect choice. It has an engaging heroine, a carefully constructed plot, and surprises even for this jaded reader. If you like brave women with principles fighting forces that can destroy a town, you’ll love this book too.

Elaine Greensmith Jordan
October, 2006

Having grown up in southern Ohio, the author, Susan Lanning, has created a realistic small town on the Ohio River.  The young heroine, Harper MacNeal,  runs a local radio station and has inherited a piece 
of property from her mother which fronts on the river.  Some of the folks in town want her to sell the property to developers for a casino but she refuses.  How this issue is resolved is the basis for the story which is full of intrigue and romance.   Each chapter draws the reader on to the next as events unfold.  The ending is both dramatic and satisfying, making the experience of reading the book well worth the reader's time.  Highly Recommended. 

Ann Waidelich, 
retired librarian.

PS  How did you research running a radio station ?

(And from Ann's sister -- )

"Once started, -- didn't you find it difficult to put down Harper's Bluff?  Susan writes well."

Gail Ryan