Restless Spirit is a surprisingly entertaining suspense novel. The cover marks it as part of the “Cowboy Cops” promotion, which was hardly a promising sign (two clichés in one!). But while he may be a cop, the hero is also barely a cowboy (if at all). More importantly, the book features nonstop action and likable characters, making for a fast, light read.

After escaping from her abusive husband, Nicole Ferris fled to the small town of Elkhorn, Colorado. She found a place to stay with a young artist, Joey Wentworth, and a job working in the town diner. One night she returns home to find the cabin ransacked and Joey missing. She immediately calls the police, which brings her face-to-face with Sheriff Mace Sheridan.

One look at Nicole and Mace knows she’s hiding things from him. His initial impression from the crime scene is that the roommates had an argument and Joey took off. Then Nicole receives a call informing them that Joey, the nephew of a wealthy oil tycoon, was kidnapped for ransom.

Nicole’s first instinct is to flee, to escape Mace and his insistent questions and get out of town while she can. Loyalty to her friend keeps her in Elkhorn and under the sheriff’s protection, especially after the kidnappers demand that she make the ransom drop.

This is very much a light suspense story with a romance on the side. Once it gets started, the plot is in constant motion, seldom slowing for an instant, with steady story progression and plenty of action. The best way to describe the story is to say it moves. The twists and turns and action keep coming. As suspense goes, it’s not particularly dark or deep. It’s just zippy and exciting, with developments that are almost, but not quite, predictable. There are no big shocks, but the story unfolds in a way that is a little more surprising than it should be.

While characterization isn’t top priority here, Nicole and Mace still come across as very likable people. That’s part of what makes the story so enjoyable. It’s hard not to like a heroine who responds to a suspicious FBI agent’s overzealous questioning by asking, “Exactly how long will it take for you to assert your manhood?” Actually, all the moments at the FBI’s expense are very enjoyable. There are some nicely humorous moments that lighten the mood. By the time the main characters bond over an ABBA song, of all things, they’d firmly won me over. These are the kind of people I enjoy spending 249 pages with. Nicole has a very typical backstory (sad childhood, abusive husband) but I warmed up to the character enough that it never seemed annoying. I particularly appreciated Mace’s unwavering faith in Nicole once they grew closer. There were several moments where, in a lesser book, Mace would have immediately begun to doubt her. It didn’t happen.

There are many, many small flaws in this book I could pick at. Some awkward dialogue, questionable character choices, and the forced final conflict, just for starters. But the story generally moves on to something else so quickly they’re not worth lingering on. That’s one of the benefits of a fast-paced action story. One flaw I will mention is the completely abrupt ending. Miles has done it in the past, but it was particularly annoying here, maybe because I liked the characters enough not to want the story to come to an abrupt close. The climax happens and the story really just stops. It’s a jarring end to a book that could have used at least one more page to wind things down a little.

But then, maybe it’s a fitting end for a book that never slowed down for the proceeding 249 pages. Why start at the end? It’s not a deep read or a particularly touching romance. But Restless Spirit is a fun ride while it lasts. Sometimes, that’s more than enough.