Tough Luck

Dallas’s 24th novel (after Where Coyotes Howl) is historical fiction that features familiar elements from her oeuvre: a family focus, a Western setting, and a determined woman lead. In 1863, Haidie Richards and her younger brother Boots are left in an orphanage by their older brother when their mother dies. Their father headed west to search for gold two years before, and Haidie is sure that he has since struck it rich and is waiting for his children to find him. She breaks them out of the orphanage and goes west, dressed as a boy for safety. She’s so convincing as a young man that even readers may forget she’s actually a girl. Haidie discovers the importance of a supportive community as she and Boots travel. They connect with an honest trail driver, befriend two tough spinster sisters, and encounter a loyal gambler—all of whose help they’ll need once they arrive in Colorado and realize that their father is alive but down on his luck.