Murder at Cottonwood Creek Hardcover Hardcover.

A hair-raising Wild West adventure awaits British aristocrats. Montana in 1906 may not be quite as wild as in the recent past, but it's certainly exciting enough for Lord Atherly, who's fossil hunting and awaiting the arrival of his heir, Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst, and his wife, Stella, on the Ninebark Ranch owned by Ned Smith, the second husband of Stella's mother. Stella and Lyndy, coming from Kentucky after having settled her father's estate, arrive with some Thoroughbred horses as a gift, only to hear that Lord Atherly is missing. Hit on the head by a tree branch, Atherly wanders in the wilderness until journalist Purdy Sullivan finds him and returns to the camp, where Professor Amos Gridley is directing the search for early horse fossils. A lot of bickering occurs in the camp among the fossil hunters and the recently arrived rival fossil hunter, Dr. Aurelius Moss. While Atherly's group is out looking for escaped horses, they come upon a body in the creek, which turns out to be that of Harp Richter, the guard at their camp. The group is reluctant to call on Sheriff Hank Becker, who, as it happens, is willing to listen to Stella's suspicions of murder. Coroner Elmer Claxton, Becker's enemy, then pushes through a verdict of accidental death. Atherly then realizes that some of his fossils have been stolen, and Ninebark is accused of stealing horses. Since her marriage, Stella has helped to solve several complicated murder cases, and she has to solve this one to save her mother and father-in-law from disaster. Striking scenery and interesting fossil lore enhance a Western adventure showcasing a feisty detective. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.