WoW! I was captivated by the opening!

“I’ve never trusted happiness. Just when you think you’ve corralled that mustang, she busts through the fence and leaves you with splinters. I should have seen it coming.”

I loved the author’s descriptive writing! Another top favorite was...

“Afternoon was punching its time card while evening waited to take the next shift.”

I truly saved one of the best selections until last as I traveled from sea-to-shining-sea for my 50 States Fiction Challenge! Looking over a list of novels set in Nebraska, the title caught my attention, and then the description reeled me in

“A Nebraska county sheriff’s wife investigates a murder—and her husband is the prime suspect.”

The sheriff’s wife, Kate Fox came into her family home expecting to see her niece Carly working on a term paper, and perhaps her husband Ted might already be home. But the house is dark and minutes later a phone call turns her world spiraling out of control.

The action keeps a steady pace but it is the descriptions and dialogue that keep the reader riveted from chapter to chapter. There is a large cast of secondary characters fitting for life in a small rural town in the Midwest where not only does everyone know everyone else’s business but some have that inside track because they are all related.

It is the authenticity in capturing the setting and the descriptive writing that moved this novel from 4 to 5 Stars for me. In signing up for the author’s newsletter, I received a link to download the short story “Close Enough” which takes place between Book 1 and Book 2. As the story gives additional insight into Kate Fox's next steps after Book 1 and insight into her character's choices and feelings for the path ahead, I highly recommend the novella. I hope you enjoy Shannon Baker’s writing as much as I did. I’m looking forward to reading more of the author’s writing. ( )

Stripped Bare is the perfect start to what promises to be an excellent series. It’s the kind of book that has you rushing to get to the end but then immediately looking for the next in the series because you don’t want to leave Kate Fox and the Nebraska Sandhills. Kate felt lucky to have won Ted’s heart and thought her life was pretty perfect, but when her orphaned niece Carly’s grandfather Eldon is killed and Kate’s husband Ted is shot, Kate learns of Ted’s deception and wonders if anything was ever real. Ted is a suspect in Eldon’s murder. Even though he’s deceived her, Kate is certain Ted is innocent and sets out to prove it and to find out what really happened.

Kate is rough-edged and doesn’t always do the safest, smartest thing. And as soon as she starts investigating attempts are made on her life. But she’s smart and brave and determined and I couldn’t help but like her. Her large family is quirky enough for you to want this series to go on just so you can get to know them all better. But quirky or not, the Fox family sticks together. And they are all in Kate’s corner as she tries to find out what happened to Ted and Eldon. She loves the ranch and she loves Ted, but will she be able to keep either of them? As the story moves along Kate realizes that she is possibly the only one who didn’t know what was going on with Ted and Roxy. Ted begs her to stay with him and Kate agonizes over her decision, a decision we don’t learn until the very end of the story.

Stripped Bare is a good strong mystery, with many villains and many clues, but you’ll be lucky if you figure it out and aren’t surprised at the ending. It’s a great read and great start to a series. I’ll be reading more. ( )

STRIPPED BARE is a solid start to a promising series. Kate is a strong, take no prisoners heroine who isn’t afraid of hard work or the truth, even if it hurts. Ms. Baker introduces readers to a life that, while sharing many similarities with farming, is worlds apart. Kate loves the hard life of a cattle rancher and this grit is what makes her such an appealing protagonist.
-Who in this small tightknit community could have killed Eldon and shot Ted? It’s not comforting to entertain the thought of someone you’ve known for years being a killer.
-How long has Ted been cheating with Roxy, his former high school sweetheart?
-Does this spell the end of her marriage and where has her niece Carly taken off to? There’s a lot packed into a short period of time in STRIPPED BARE as Kate deals with a plethora of problems and a series of “accidents”. Are they designed to scare her off or is there a more sinister motive behind them?

STRIPPED BARE features:
-A colorful cast, most of which are Kate’s family.
-An austere yet strangely appealing setting.
-A solid mystery with the who, why, and how wrapped up nicely without being predictable while leaving an opening for book two.
-Kate’s a lead with gumption, a strong work ethic, sense of right, wrong, and responsibility, and last but not least, a stainless steel spine.
-An ending that had me cheering Kate. Had my doubts for a bit…

STRIPPED BARE will no doubt have readers clamoring for book two.

4.5 stars Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II & Novels Alive TV ( )