Publisher's Weekly Review
The arrival of a highly dysfunctional Hollywood film crew spells trouble in Smith's stellar third novel featuring laconic upstate New York farmer Virgil Cain (after 2012's Crow's Landing). The crew plan to shoot a major motion picture, Frontier Woman, based on a bestseller hailed as "the Eat, Pray, Love of the nineteenth century." All involved, from producers Sam Sawchuck and Levi Brown to director Robb Fetterman, have hidden agendas, except movie actress Olivia Burns, who plays the lead, and the child in the role of her daughter. When Brown and Fetterman want to hire Virgil's team of Percherons, Bob and Nelly, for the picture, Virgil is happy to oblige. The film's precarious financing opens the door for another player, casino bigwig Ronnie Red Hawk. The suspicious death of one of the principals brings in Virgil's lover, homicide cop Claire Marchand. Wonderfully wrought characters, delicious wit, and droll storytelling make this a delightful romp. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Another Hollywood production ventures into the sticks, with results that are predictably droll, dry and homicidal. Now that she's cut director Peter Dunmore out of Frontier Woman, "the Eat, Pray, Love of the nineteenth century," just as it's about to begin shooting in Woodstock, N.Y., scheming producer Sam Sawchuk is ready to install her husband and producing partner, gutless rookie Robb Fetterman, in his place. Little does Sam know she's about to be outmaneuvered by two new colleagues even sharper than she is. When she approaches suspiciously red-haired Indian casino owner Ronnie Red Hawk for the last $6 million she needs to shoot the picture, he responds by writing a check and then grabbing the reins from Sam's Big Deal Productions. Virgil Cain, the Woodstock farmer last seen under arrest for murder in Red Means Run (2012), demonstrates a quieter, funnier mode of resistance once he and a pair of Percherons he's nursing back to health are hired for some background shots. Virgil befriends all the wrong people, from veteran second-unit director Tommy Alamosa to 10-year-old actress Georgia Lee Thompson, and gets under the skin of self-important types like Robb and producer Levi Brown. The death of leading lady Olivia Burns, well-liked but scarcely mourned by the hard-bitten crew of Frontier Woman, sets the stage for Ronnie to replace her with starlet Kari Karson, who's better known for her tabloid exploits than her acting chops. There'll be more violent deaths, but the criminal byplay is less engaging than the puncturing of the Hollywood blowhards by the country bumpkins who run rings around them. Smith's slyly entertaining satire makes it easy to overlook the perfunctory, forgettable mystery.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Virgil Cain, the upstate New York horse farmer with a nose for trouble, sniffs his way into another jam. The movies have come to the country, and one of the producers hires Bob and Nelly, Virgil's draft horses, for a few days work at $500 a day. Planning only to provide transportation for his starlets, Virgil is drawn into the production when it turns out the actor set to drive the buckboard is afraid of horses. OK, it's easy money until the lead actress is murdered, and the production is imperiled on all fronts. Virgil's lover, police detective Claire, is investigating the crime, but Virgil stays on the periphery, nosing about and managing to irritate most of the movie types, except for 10-year-old actress Georgia, who likes feeding apples to the horses. When Georgia is kidnapped by the killer, it's time for Virgil to ride to the rescue. The movie angle proves a bit predictable, but Virgil remains a thoroughly charming hero in the self-reliant, bantering Elmore Leonard mold, and Smith can spin even a tired premise into genuinely entertaining fiction.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2010 Booklist
