Roan
Grade : D-

Roan was a hard book to read. No, it was not rich and complicated. It did not have complex characters or memorable turns of phrase, it was simply lifeless and very, very dull.

Roan opens with a bang. Tory has been kidnapped by a couple of thugs whom she refers to as Big Ears and Zits. She has managed to get hold of a gun on the floor of the van and open the door. As Tory rolls out, gun in (bound) hands, she is shot in the shoulder by the sheriff, Roan Benedict.

The occupants of a van that fits the description of the one that Tory is in, have robbed a local convenient store. Roan is shocked that he has shot a woman and takes Tory to the local hospital. When her wound is treated and she is released, there are no facilities in the local prison for holding a woman, so Roan takes Tory to his home to keep her under surveillance and let her recover.

Tory does not trust Roan and will not even tell him her name. He notices she has an ankle bracelet with Donna on it (her childhood nickname) so he calls her Donna. She will not tell him anything and, although not rude or belligerent, she is very uncooperative.

The plot involves Tory, who is a poor little rich girl, her evil boyfriend, her evil stepfather, and some evil gamblers who want to bring a riverboat gambling casino to the small Louisiana town of Turn-Coupe where Roan is the sheriff. He does not want this, fearing that the charming town will fall prey to evil forces. The plot was muddled and dragged and I found it difficult to keep my mind on it, since it meandered worse than the lower Mississippi river. Characters would appear then disappear for long stretches of time, then I would meet them again and wonder, "Who are these people?!"

I could forgive a meandering plot if the characters were at all memorable, but Roan and Tory were not. They were bland, boring and very, very forgettable. Plus, Roan does things that made me shake my head in wonder. For instance, unless you were Sheriff Andy Taylor and you lived in Mayberry, if you were a sheriff, would you leave a suspect at home alone with your 16 year old son? OK, the suspect is a woman, OK, she's wounded (but only in the shoulder) and your deputy drives by ever so often but don't you think she'd try to run? Roan does eventually put a home incarceration device on Tory, but not until she has spent some time alone.

The relationship between Roan and Tory is not at all engaging. When Roan talks to Tory and engages in some banter about how he will have to give her a sponge bath so that she will not get her wound wet and I felt nothing at all - not even a mild frisson, I know the characters are cyphers.

This was one of the most mind-numbingly dull books I have ever read. I was tempted to duct tape my eyelids open a few times so I could stay awake to finish it (and this was at noon - not midnight). The characters were dull, the setting was dull, the plot was dull, and even Beau the dog was dull. Occasionally I would run across a very strange turn of phrase: "A look of diabolical yet smoky enjoyment arose in his gray eyes." and that would jolt me back to life, but for the most part I was sitting there with eyes glazed over, wondering how so many pages could pass and nothing happen.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti
Grade : D-

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : June 29, 2000

Publication Date: 2000

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Ellen Micheletti

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