SAVING TEXAS
By Nancy Stancill
Published in 2014 by Black Rose Writing.
Reviewed by Kirsche Romo.
We all know Texans are quite unique, but is Texas once again its own country?
That’s the political platform of Tom Marr, a west Texas cattle rancher running for governor, and the dream of the triumvirate: Marr and his two University of Texas buddies. Annie Price, reporter for the Houston Times, has been assigned to do a profile story on Marr, but her assignment puts her into the middle of both a dangerous plan for Texas to secede from the United States, and a romantic quandary.
In her novel, Saving Texas, Nancy Stancill has created a believable character in Annie Price, a young but ambitious Houston Times reporter who yearns to be on the Times’ investigative team. After being assigned to do a profile on handsome gubernatorial candidate Tom Marr, who plans to return Texas to a powerful country of its own, Annie finds herself in the middle of a dangerous plot being carried out by Marr’s two best friends, former CIA operative Dan Riggins, and President of Middle Texas College, Ed Gonzales. Home-grown militias, conspiracies with the Mexican drug cartels, and a hired female killer are intertwined in this interesting story which contemplates the rebirth of the Republic of Texas.
Saving Texas was engaging and well-written. The dialogue was convincing, especially between Annie and her best friend, reporter Maddy Daniels. Stancill’s writing flowed well and was easy to read, the plot suspenseful and unique in its premise of Texas seceding from the United States and its conjecture of how far some Texans would go to make that happen. I also enjoyed the novel’s numerous references to Texans, and to the unique flavor of Texas in general.
I would recommend Saving Texas – the book is a satisfying read with a thought-provoking premise. What if Texas…?
L. Romo is a writer who lives with her family in Duncanville, Texas. She is currently querying agents to represent her newly completed novel – FROM GRACE I FALL – about a middle-aged empty-nester who’s suddenly transported back to 1907 Dallas, seeing the world through the eyes of a reformed prostitute. You can visit her at www.klromo.com.
