Shadowy Horses

I loved the archaeological and historical tie-ins, but I didn't love this book as much as [b:The Winter Sea|3392089|The Winter Sea (The Slains, #1)|Susanna Kearsley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361281953s/3392089.jpg|3723657] and [b:The Rose Garden|9792287|The Rose Garden|Susanna Kearsley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327951839s/9792287.jpg|14682378]. If you haven't read Susanna Kearsley before, you can start here, but you might be a bit disappointed if you have read some of her other novels first. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible book. I did feel the relationships were underdeveloped and she barely scratched the surface of what she could have tied in historically. Overall an enjoyable read.

The Shadowy Horses says on its cover that it is written "in the tradition of Barbara Michaels". And when you're a long-established Michaels fan like me, this is sheer music to the ears, not to mention aiming for a very high bar of entertainment.

Fortunately, Kearsley pulls it off in spades with this novel. It's my favorite one of hers, one that I periodically re-read, and which holds up very well every time I revisit it. Like classic Michaels novels, it's got all the right elements: a remote location, a handsome dashing hero, a handsome dashing rival to the hero, a psychic child, a ghost, and most importantly, a smart and dauntless heroine. Archaeologist Verity Grey comes to Rosehill in Scotland to join the dig being conducted by Peter Quinnell, who's reputed to be obsessed with finding the lost Ninth Legion of Rome, and who thinks he's found its final resting place. In between participating in the dig, Verity finds herself strongly attracted to her colleague David Fortune--and stunned to discover that little Robbie McMorran can talk to the ghost of the Roman soldier who haunts the place, and who could perhaps help them unlock its history.

The book's only real flaw for me is that there's almost not enough conflict in it, no sense of any real threat to the goings-on, until the very end. But that's pretty much okay. The characters are all quite vivid, especially Peter Quinnell, and the chemistry between Verity and David is charming. Four stars.