By Benjamin H. Liles
When I read books to review I look for books that interest me, that may have an interesting graphic on a book, or perhaps--even possibly--be based on some truth. That is the case for Jane Kirkpatrick's book Everything She Didn't Say. While Jane Kirkpatrick has written tons, a myriad, of books and loads of stories left to tell as well, she has won awards for her books. She is a New York Times and CBA bestselling author of more than thirty books. Among this list are the books All She Left Behind, This Road We Traveled, and The Memory Weaver.
Within the first few pages of her latest book, Everything She Didn't Say, I was hooked. Carrie Adell (nee Green) Strahorn lived an adventurous life she never truthfully intended to embark upon. She followed a man she married by the name of Robert Strahorn--a rail road man, who also wrote books on the side for Union Pacific--to bring people west to settle what are now Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, California, and Montana.
Jane has done an incredible job, surprisingly so, structuring a fictional novel based around Carrie's written memoirs on her time and travels with Robert Strahorn. The book I am referring to that Carrie Strahorn produced, which Jane Kirkpatrick references in Everything is Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage. I don't doubt the hardships, the struggles Carrie Strahorn undertook to travel with her "Pard," Robert Strahorn, but she bore it with such grace that when you read Everything by Jane Kirkpatrick you realize this lady wrote a tremendous book based on a real-life pioneer of the West.
In all honesty, I loved this book. It has every element needed in it for it to be a success. If you don't mind me saying it here, this book is a must read if you love history and Westerns. With that said I believe my parting words ought to be, "Until we pass this way once more, partner."
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in the hopes of an honest and fair review.