Review--The Angel and the Outlaw by Madeline Baker

[khudecek]

I have to confess that this is probably the fourth time I've read this book. The last reading was in August of 2012.

Since then, I've gotten in touch with my own Native American heritage and I thought that might jade the story for me. No. It did not. Ms. Baker had to do some extensive research on this book to make it work. I also grew up in South Dakota and know a lot of its history and she was spot on with it. To be honest, I randomly ran some of the Lakota words through a Lakota dictionary because I love different languages in books as long as they're translated in a timely manner. When the words weren't translated, it was easy to understand what they meant anyway just by the context in how they were used. Lakota is an incredibly difficult language to learn and considering this book was published in 1995 when the internet wasn't nearly what it is now, I bow to Madeline Baker. She did an amazing thing.

Okay, onto the story.

It starts with Brandy going to Wild West Days in 1995 and attending the reenactment of the hanging of JT Cutter. She touches the fake body and gets shot back in time to 1875. Simultaneously in 1875, the real JT Cutter is being hanged. When the executioner pulls the lever, he falls, of course but instead of dying, he meets up with an angel named Gideon who tells him he has one year to get his life straightened out before he can enter Heaven.

Brandy didn't know what had happened and it took her awhile to surmise that she'd been placed in JT's time and he was surprised that he hadn't died.

The story moves rapidly from there. *No spoilers*. Ultimately, she wants to end up back in her own time. It's the action, drama and love story that pushes this story along until I was diminished to tears at the end of JT's year. There were a few heartbreaking moments but the end gets me every time. Crocodile tears and near sobbing.

Gideon stays with JT throughout the story, acting as his conscience which was frustrating for JT at times but Gideon was with him at the end, too.

The story is incredible and despite the number of times I've read it, it always gets me right in the heart. This is, by far, my favorite book. I love everything about it. Great story, great characters, lots of action and a fantastic ending.