The Girl from Sunset Ranch by Amy Bell Marlowe

In the Girl from Sunset Ranch, Helen Morrell is the heir to Sunset Ranch.  Helen’s father, Prince Morrell, recently passed away with a cloud over his name.  Years ago, Prince Morrell left New York City after he was accused of embezzlement.  Mr. Morrell had hoped someday to prove his innocence, but he never had the chance.

Helen vows to discover the truth about the embezzled funds, and she journeys to New York City to stay with her relatives, Uncle Starkweather and his three teenage daughters.  The Starkweathers’ reception is quite cold, and they relegate Helen to an upstairs room near where the servants stay. The Starkweathers incorrectly assume that Helen is poor, and they treat her badly due to their prejudice against people who don’t have much.

Helen is angered by the Starkweathers’ behavior, so she gives them exactly what they expect: a crude cowgirl with poor manners.  Meanwhile, Helen works on discovering the truth, with Uncle Starkweather hindering her progress as best he can.

This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time.  The last vintage series book that I responded to as strongly as I did this one was Capwell Wyckoff’s In the Camp of the Black Rider.  Like that book, I found nothing about The Girl from Sunset Ranch to be boring or slow-paced.  Every single passage is interesting.  The book is thoroughly engaging from start to finish, really outstanding for an early series book, which often tend to be slow.  

I laughed my way through the scenes with Helen and the Starkweathers, thoroughly entertained by how Helen messed with them.

This book is outstanding.