Someone murdered his father.

He’s home to set things right.

The moment he learns his father has been murdered, Delta Force soldier Trace Travis knows he must return home. But finding resourceful Lily Davidson, his high school sweetheart, helping his mother in the wake of the tragedy leaves him shaken.

As old desires and deceits come flooding back, Trace partners with Lily to find his father’s killer—and overcome the circumstances that have always kept them apart.

Series – The Outriders = 1. Homicide at Whiskey Gulch – 2. Hideout at Whiskey Gulch –

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Homicide at Whiskey Gulch
Series:  The Outriders #1
Author:  Elle James
Romance Genre:  Romantic Suspense, Modern Western Romance
Publication Date:  January 1, 2021
Rating:  4.5 stars

Homicide at Whiskey Gulch begins The Outriders series, and this one looks to be a fun, entertaining ride if this first story is any indication of what is to come.

On one level, I completely understood Lily’s young mindset’s decision to lie to Trace in order to “set him free” from what she (and his father) considered her bad family background.  On another, well, I wish she’d stood up to Trace’s dad at his side to show daddy just how wrong about her he was… but it’s not my story to tell.  Her decision changed their lives, and who really knows now if it was for the better or not.  Yet, they had to deal with what happened in their past before they had any chance at all of a future together.

Trace’s father has been murdered with no suspects or real clues in sight.  He’s returned home to the ranch that caused such tensions and arguments between father and son to help his mother and find the killer.  He never expected to see the woman who’d broken his heart and set his life on a far different path at the ranch helping his mother.  A Delta Force soldier has inner strengths not seen in others, it’s what makes those men and women in the Special Forces a step apart from others.  And within his anger, surprise, and grief Trace had to put aside what once was and deal with them now.   Soon there will be more questions than answers, and eventually, the truth will have to be told in order to free two hearts to heal and love again.

I enjoyed my time with this family, these friends immensely.  Homicide at Whiskey Gulch sets up the rest of the series in many ways, but it also gives us a really good starting place with a couple that I often shook my head at or wanted to give them a good, stern talking to at the very least.

Lily confounded me at times.  And without saying too much right now, I couldn’t wrap my head around how she got to have those opinions about Trace not fighting for her when it was she who lied to send him away forever.  As much as I liked Lily for Trace – there were moments when her actions just annoyed me.  But then, we humans are often illogical creatures, that’s a fact.

The secondary characters make Homicide at Whiskey Gulch come alive, and I’m looking forward to the stories of the men we’ve met so far.  I had fun, and if you enjoy a really good Romantic Suspense, then you’ll want to pick up Trace and Lily’s story real soon.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in paperback or for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle.