Robyn Carr, Virgin River

Virgin River

Robyn Carr

Mira, Apr 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 0778324907

Nine months ago, her beloved husband Mark Monroe was murdered during a convenience store robbery. The physician's widow Melinda, a nurse and midwife, needs to escape Los Angeles which overnight went from her home to a place of trauma for her. She accepts a job as a doctor's assistant in the small, isolated Redwoods town of Virgin River.

However, nothing is quite what was advertised as her cottage is a filthy, dilapidated cabin and the crusty, elderly Doc Mullins does not want her. Though restaurant owner Jack Sheridan is welcoming, she plans to leave and to stay with her sister in Colorado. Her plans change when she finds the newborn left on Doc's doorsteps. As one day leads to another and new patients arrive, Melinda has found a new home though she is unaware that Jack loves her but is patient as he knows her heart belongs to someone else.

VIRGIN RIVER is a delightfully amusing, small-town character study that enables the audience to see deep into the souls of several key players but especially Melinda, Doc, and Jack. The support cast augments the solid storyline whether they are the baby, the "realtor," the cook or patients. Fans of character-driven, poignant, contemporary tales will want to drive the winding mountain road to VIRGIN RIVER.

Harriet Klausner