From Publishers Weekly
Novel number two in popular romance writer Garlock's Depression-era Route 66 trilogy (after Mother Road) follows a caravan of trucks on their way to California. Twenty-three-year-old Margie Kinnard's dream of going to Hollywood to become a star seemed to vanish when a conniving boyfriend abandoned her after stealing her money. She decides to join her recalcitrant father, Elmer, when he sells his ice business in Missouri and heads west to start anew. Elmer is a bitter, mean man who has had nothing to do with his daughter since her mother-his second wife-died, and Margie has spent most of her life away from him being raised by her maternal grandmother. Margie decides to put up with her father's ornery ways to achieve her dream, though it becomes clear that Elmer wants her along merely to take care of the usual womanly chores. Life starts looking up for Margie when they hook up with three other families-some of whom are set to go into the ice business with her father. Garlock presents an entertaining cavalcade of characters, from the loving couple whose blind son is a talented musician to the naïve husband whose new wife is a bane to his children's lives and a troublemaker from the get-go. There is also Brady Hoyt, a handsome cowboy and love interest for Margie. Garlock, known for her heartwarming Americana, does not disappoint here. She's got bad guys pitted against a group of hardworking men and women; an evil, sassy lady who finally gets her comeuppance; and a heart-throbbing romance at the heart of it all. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Garlock picks up the Depression-era tale that began in Mother Road [BKL Jl 03], in which Margie Kinnard had been robbed and abandoned on Route 66 on her way to California. She now continues her journey west, this time in a caravan along with her antagonistic father. Other travelers include a family with a blind adult son and one with two teenagers who have an evil stepmother. Along the way they hook up with Colorado rancher Brady Hoyt, who is taking his orphaned niece to relatives in California. Traveling together not only provides companionship but also mutual protection when they are targeted by robbers at a campground and later stalked by a homicidal maniac. Garlock brings the arduous, now infamous 1930s trek west to vivid life with lush detail and a frank look at the crime and danger travelers faced. Complex relationships, family secrets, and a murderous villain--as well as more than one romance--keep the reader eagerly turning pages and anxious for the next installment in this engaging series. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The "Voice of America's Heartland," national bestselling author Dorothy Garlock, delivers the second novel in her evocative, Depression-era trilogy. Ernie Harding may have stolen Margie Kinnard's savings, but he didn't shatter her dreams of going to California to become a movie star. Help arrives from an unexpected source: Margie's long lost father. Newly widowed, he's westward bound himself and offers Margie a ride. Soon after the two set off, they form a caravan with fellow travelers heading for the Golden State. Then the unthinkable happens. Ernie Harding reappears, and days later, Margie's father dies. Did he pass away peacefully in his sleep, or is Ernie guilty of more than petty theft? And will Margie's dreams of Hollywood get sidetracked by Brady Hoyt, the handsome rancher who's taken on the role of her protector?

Author Biography: Dorothy Garlock lives in Iowa.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Novel number two in popular romance writer Garlock's Depression-era Route 66 trilogy (after Mother Road) follows a caravan of trucks on their way to California. Twenty-three-year-old Margie Kinnard's dream of going to Hollywood to become a star seemed to vanish when a conniving boyfriend abandoned her after stealing her money. She decides to join her recalcitrant father, Elmer, when he sells his ice business in Missouri and heads west to start anew. Elmer is a bitter, mean man who has had nothing to do with his daughter since her mother-his second wife-died, and Margie has spent most of her life away from him being raised by her maternal grandmother. Margie decides to put up with her father's ornery ways to achieve her dream, though it becomes clear that Elmer wants her along merely to take care of the usual womanly chores. Life starts looking up for Margie when they hook up with three other families-some of whom are set to go into the ice business with her father. Garlock presents an entertaining cavalcade of characters, from the loving couple whose blind son is a talented musician to the na ve husband whose new wife is a bane to his children's lives and a troublemaker from the get-go. There is also Brady Hoyt, a handsome cowboy and love interest for Margie. Garlock, known for her heartwarming Americana, does not disappoint here. She's got bad guys pitted against a group of hardworking men and women; an evil, sassy lady who finally gets her comeuppance; and a heart-throbbing romance at the heart of it all. (Jan. 9) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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