The Deseret Reckoning: A Novel

“This irresistible novel manages the curious trick of making the reader want to stand up and cheer… A transformative tale of personal reinvention from a masterful storyteller.” – Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Star Award Winner)”… a thoughtful but well-paced adventure… raising the stakes, right till the end. This novel is as much a journey of self discovery and newfound determination as it is a quest for retracing a historical trail.” –BookLifeThe latest stunning release from the author of Of Dice and Men comes a tale based in history, told through the eyes of Susan Kingsley, a shy yet bold museum assistant in the midst of change, displacement, and growth.

Susan Kingsley is a historical acquisitions assistant with career ambitions at the Smithsonian Museum. She shares an apartment with FBI special agent Andrew Harrison.Susan has discovered copies of a series of letters from 1870 describing a wagon train from Santa Fe, New Mexico, bound for the Deseret Territory, the Mormon lands prior to Utah statehood, and a hidden mine.The new owner of the letters, twenty-seven-year-old Tom Sullivan, a distant relative of the recipient, joins two older friends on a camping trip to discover the source of the letters. While Susan tracks Tom and his letters across Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, Andrew tails her every step. After a chance encounter with Kat, a friendly face at a challenging time, a bolder, fiercer Susan emerges.As Susan’s character arc grows, Andrew’s arc delves from petty disagreements to all-out fraud and deception, a cop with a grudge. What secrets will be revealed? What has been hidden in the mine? Will Susan succeed, or will Andrew sabotage her efforts and commit the ultimate crime?