Sarita --- Book Review

This riveting tale of a woman's search for justice in prohibition-era Texas and Mexico is a page-turner you don't want to miss.

In the eponymous novel by Natalie Musgrave Dossett, Sarita and her brother JJ are putting their horses away in the barn when two tequileros approach. A fight for the horses ensues, and when JJ is fatally shot, Sarita’s desire for justice ignites. She also hopes to prove to her father that she is capable of running the ranch, and she needs to do it before he gives up and decides to sell to a local smarmy oil-prospector. With a missing fiancé, a severely ill and depressed father, and Texas Rangers too busy to look into the case, Sarita has no one to turn to but herself. Inspired by her friend Maude Langley, a no-nonsense, highly capable, and modern frontierswoman, Sarita takes off for Mexico. On the journey, she experiences unspeakable violence and danger at every turn, and she may even be forced to commit atrocities of her own.

As Sarita travels through Mexico, the experiences she has are life-changing. She starts out with a simple worldview and a child’s conception of justice. Her search for justice for JJ will require her to make difficult and sometimes questionable decisions, and she will have to confront death face to face many times. Reuniting with old friends and meeting new people, she discovers that not everyone is who they seem and that their choices are not always theirs to make. Musgrave Dosset’s tale is exquisitely written. She brings her characters to life, and her prose never gets in the way. From page one, the reader is emotionally invested, and her masterful pacing keeps readers turning the pages. Maude, Tomás, Alicia and Griselda, and even Patricio and Katarina are all brought to life and feel less like minor characters than the protagonists whose stories we just haven’t read yet.

Sarita is an exciting twist on a Wild West tale that will leave you wishing it would never end. This is a book you don’t want to miss and one that you’ll keep coming back to.

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