One night, Dr. Leah Mundy wakes to the barrel of a gun. Trouble has just drifted into town. He's an outlaw, clearly on the run, from what, she can only guess. As she comes to realize that Jackson Underhill accepts her--as a doctor and as a woman, she can't keep herself from falling for him. But soon he would be gone.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
It isn't easy to be a female physician in 1894, but Leah Mundy is fiercely committed to healing her fellow humans. Being awakened in the dark of night to heal the sick is a common occurrence, but never before has she woke to a threatening gun barrel and a dangerous stranger demanding her services. Outlaw Jackson Underhill is grimly determined that the doctor will save his childhood friend, but nothing about his difficult and dark past has prepared him for the changes the beautiful doctor will bring to his life. When Leah manages to disable his sailboat and force him to bring his "wife" to her boarding home to be cared for, Jackson has no option but to comply, setting forces in motion that will change both of their lives forever.
Dr. Leah Mundy is a strong but emotionally vulnerable woman who has struggled her entire life to win the approval of her difficult, indifferent father. Now that he is dead, she is determined to build a life on Puget Sound's beautiful Whidbey Island. Accused of committing a murder he can't deny, outlaw Jackson Underhill is a man on the run, committed to saving his childhood friend while eluding the law. Leah is a woman who cannot leave the island that has become her sanctuary and Jackson Underhill is a man who cannot stay. Reason and logic tell them that they should never have fallen in love, but their hearts ignore all warnings. Inexorably drawn together by circumstance and fate, what possible resolution can bring them happiness and not disaster? Thrown together by chance, they find a love that neither of them had ever dared hope for - but darker forces and old alliances threaten their chance at happiness. With crisp, clean writing, Ms. Wiggs deftly weaves a seamless tale set against the background of the sea and sky of the Pacific Northwest. The beauty of Puget Sound pulses from every page, elevating the land and elements of nature to the level of a living character that is essential to the healing of Jackson and Leah's inner scars. Emotionally intense and well-plotted, The Drifter has all the components of a great summer read and is a jewel of a novel.
From Publishers Weekly
Wiggs (Lord of the Night) turns an able and sensual hand to the old story of the capable, straitlaced spinster and the sensual roving rogue. Jackson T. Underhill (tall and blond with the requisite facial scar) is running from the law with his childhood friend Carrie, a prostitute and opium addict who shot the mayor of Rising Star, Texas, and who is posing as Jackson's wife. When Carrie falls ill, Jackson rouses Dr. Leah Mundy from her bed at gunpoint in the picturesque seaside village of Coupeville, on Washington's Puget Sound. Leah, whose whole life has been devoted to hard work, and whose self-esteem as a woman has been undermined by a charlatan father, allows herself to dream of a home and family with Jackson (including the social acceptance she never receives as a female in a typically male profession). And Underhill, the sexy drifter who has never belonged anywhere, dreams of coming home each night to his passionate physician and an extended family of endearing misfits. It's a smart, unorthodox coupling to which Wiggs adds humor, brains and a certain cultivation that will leave readers anticipating her next romance.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.
When her recent novel, FIRESIDE, hit #1 on the New York Times, the author reportedly reacted to the news by "putting on my lipstick and sweeping the patio." Why? Because she knew that within a matter of minutes, her girlfriends would show up to pop the bubbly and help her celebrate. [Update: FIRESIDE has been chosen of one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Romances of 2009.]
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. Her books make frequent appearances on Amazon's "best of" lists. Several of her novels have been listed as Indie Next picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book.
When her recent novel, FIRESIDE, hit #1 on the New York Times, the author reportedly reacted to the news by "putting on my lipstick and sweeping the patio." Why? Because she knew that within a matter of minutes, her girlfriends would show up to pop the bubbly and help her celebrate. [Update: FIRESIDE has been chosen of one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Romances of 2009.]
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. Her books make frequent appearances on Amazon's "best of" lists. Several of her novels have been listed as Indie Next picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Susan Wiggs is a natural storyteller,
By A Customer
This review is from: Drifter (Mass Market Paperback)
In 1894 Rising Star, Texas, the town sheriff requests U.S. Marshal Joel Santana pursue escaped murderer Jackson Underhill and his wife Carrie. Though Joel feels there is more to this case than the local is letting on, he begins his chase to capture the outlaw. Jackson and Carrie manage to sail their dilapidated schooner to Whidbey Island, Washington, where he kidnaps Dr. Leah Mundy to tend to Carrie, who is very ill. It turns out that Carrie is three months pregnant, a fact that irritates Jackson. Though he feels guilty about leaving Leah's other patients without medical care, the desperate Jackson decides to force the doctor to accompany them to Canada so that she can continue to tend to Carrie. Instead, Leah disables his schooner, forcing them to remain on Whidbey Island. Carrie loathes the small island town and flees with the first available wealthy man. This allows Jackson and Leah the time alone needed to fall in love. However, even after learning that Carrie has died, the law remains after him. Even more so, though Leah trusts, believes, and loves her man, he must surmount his traumatic past if they are to enjoy an enchanting future together THE DRIFTER is former RITA award winner, Susan Wiggs at her absolutely best. The lead characters are a charming couple. Jackson will steal hearts with his melancholy past and Leah is a role model who does not allow gender to interfere with her dreams. The story line is fast, exhilarating, and romantically interesting. Readers who enjoy the blending of historical romance with bits of suspense will take great pleasure in Ms. Wiggs' latest offer, THE DRIFTER. Harriet Klausner
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strong characters make make a great story.,
By Classy Romantic "jstwaller" (Houston, Texas area) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Drifter (Mass Market Paperback)
If this is an example (a weak example if old reviews are to be believed) of Wiggs' writing, I'm buying everything she ever wrote. Jackson and Leah are complicated, interesting, appealing people, and the character of Caroline is finely drawn. Great story, realistic portrayal of morphine addiction, accurate depiction of education and life of a woman doctor in the late 19th century. Picked it up on a whim, but it's a keeper.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is what true love is all about.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Drifter (Mass Market Paperback)
What a beautiful story, beautifully told. Two damaged people who make each other whole. Yes, I cried, but I also cheered in the end. Endearing characters.
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