Lone Calder Star (Zebra Contemporary Romance) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: ranch yard, Janet Dailey, Cee Bar, John Earl (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Debuting in 1981, the eight western romances chronicling the saga of Montana's Calder family are the superstars among Dailey's more than 100 books. This ninth novel follows young ex-lawman Quint Echohawk (a grandson of the series' original protagonist, Chase Calder) on an undercover mission from the family's Montana homeground to Texas, where the rival Rutledge millionaire clan is attempting a hostile takeover of neighboring ranches, including the Calders' sole Lone Star state ranch, the Cee Bar. With virtually the entire town intimidated or bribed into conspiring in the Rutledges' ruthless dealings, loner Quint faces perils ranging from fire to starvation to anthrax, with no allies save two small, out-of-business ranchers: crusty old-timer "Empty" Gardner and his grandaughter, Dallas. Characterizations are somewhat less complex than in early Calder novels. They're also less consistent. A plot twist in which the supposedly whip-smart, principled and gutsy Dallas is motivated by fear to spy on Quint for Rutledge's almost stereotypically slimy son, for instance, is not entirely convincing. (Or appealing; the charm of all Dailey's Calder women lies in their clear-headed grit.) Still, the passion, spirit and strength readers expect from a Calder story-and a Calder hero-shine through, as does the author's gift for vividly bringing the western landscape to life.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

When the manager of the Cee Bar Ranch southwest of Fort Wort disappears, former Treasury Department ATF agent, Quint Echohawk, the grandson of Chase Benteen Calder, is sent to Texas to discover why. Neighboring rancher and billionaire Max Rutledge is out to acquire every ranch in the area, and his incompetent son is willing to go to any lengths to help him. Red-haired college-student Dallas Garner, working two jobs to support her grandfather, Easy, who lost his ranch to Rutledge, provides a love interest, while Easy hires on to help Quint. Rutledge had no idea of who he would be dealing with when he decided to take over the Cee Bar and finds that being up against a willful Calder is no trifling matter. Dailey's characters are archetypes, and the story has been told many times before, yet as she continues the long-running, best-selling Calder saga, she does create a kind of magic that makes her latest enjoyable tale a great choice for the airplane or beach. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821775421
• ISBN-13: 978-0821775424
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CALDER FANS WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!, July 19, 2005

By	D. Ryland "dryland" (Victoria, BC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lone Calder Star (Hardcover)

In this latest installment of the Calder saga, Janet Dailey displays the hallmarks that made the earlier Calder books such a critical and commercial success. The story takes us to Texas and the Cee Bar Ranch, home of the first Calder ancestor, Seth. Lawman Clint Echohawk, still mourning the loss of his father, travels from Montana to the ranch in Texas to manage the ranch and investigate the suspicious ongoings there. Sparks fly between Quint and Dallas, a waitress/student who eventually, along with her endearing grandfather Empty, move into the ranch as hired hands. Whether fighting the corrupt schemes of neighbouring rancher Max Rutledge, or feelings for his new love Dallas, Quint Echohawk reminds us why we love the Calder men...they're strength, pride, and tenderness. All in all, this is a very welcome addition to the Calder Saga. No Calders are killed of in this book (thank you Ms. Dailey...I was running out of kleenex) but the plot is nonetheless well-paced and keeps you hooked! If you are a fan of the earlier books in the Calder saga, this book will take you back home!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Getting better, June 23, 2005

By	K. Kraus "mskraus2u" (Pleasant Prairie, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lone Calder Star (Hardcover)

I'm pleased to say that this latest Calder book is much better than the last one. While I don't think the newer books will ever be as good as the first few in the series, I hope Ms. Dailey continues to improve. This book doesn't take place on the Triple C ranch, and I think it could easily be read as a stand-alone book for someone who never read the earlier books. Chase, Cat and Jessy are mentioned, but you don't really need to know any of the Calder history to understand this book. The story focuses on Quint Echohawk, Cat's son with Logan. As with all the Calder men, he is strong and honorable. Jessy sends him to the Cee Bar ranch, the land they own in Texas, to see what's going on there. The last ranch hand on the Cee Bar has up and left without telling anyone or giving a reason. After arriving in Texas, Quint quickly learns that the Rutledges are responsible for scaring off all the employees. They are trying to buy all the land in the area, and they're using any means necessary to do it. The first person Quint gets to know in Texas is Dallas, a waitress/store clerk/student who has some experience of her own with the Rutledges. She and her grandfather, Empty Garner, were forced to sell their ranch to the Rutledges. Quint thinks she's pretty, but he assumes she's younger than she is. He thinks she's in high school. (He later learns she's legal, and then the sparks fly.) I won't tell the story, but Empty and Dallas end up working on the ranch with Quint and they all fight the Rutledges together. Also, I don't know if this is a "spoiler" or not, but Ms. Dailey has decided NOT to kill off any major characters in this book! Hallelujah!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First-time Janet Daily Reader, March 17, 2006

By	Annette Neeley (Ogden, UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lone Calder Star (Hardcover)

As stated, this was the first novel of hers I've read. I have the paperback version. I had a book I hated, took it to my bookstore and got this one instead (it was the same price, not the best way to pick a book).

I sat on it for a few months before I finally picked it up. I found I should have picked it up much earlier. I enjoyed the novel. I do agree with one of the reviews that some of the characters were a bit "unwritten" but I still liked it and not having read any of the other Calder novels, it was still easy to follow.

The one thing I liked about it, well sometimes in novels you can just sit there and think, yeah ok, that's never going to happen. I really think that this type of situation exists and she wrote it as it may have happened anywhere. I really enjoyed the way the characters talked. No one really talks like that anymore and I miss it. Big business doesn't care about who and what they take over either and I thought Daily wrote truthfully about that as well, but didn't throw it in my face.

So, all in all, it was a good book. I hated putting it down. :)

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