Reviewed by Lisa Jones for Readers' Favorite

Cold Prairie by Renna Olsen is set in the era of the cowboy. The story follows the DuMonde family and their obsession with a certain book. This book, however, is evil and inside its pages lives a demon that has been trapped for centuries. The DuMonde brothers declare war on each other when the younger brother Remy steals the book from his older brother Maurice in the dead of the night. Remy and his mistress leave New Orleans and settle miles away in a small town. They take up residence in a local pub, but their past will eventually catch up to them in the end. Meanwhile, Lydia flees her home as her father is keen to get her married off for a piece of land. Her new husband is a bully and so is his son and life with them would be unbearable. Lydia changes her identity and poses as a man, only to end up in the same small town as Remy. She finds herself in grave danger as the demon plays havoc in the small town. Inevitably, secrets become exposed and lives are lost.

Renna Olsen has delivered a classic thriller in Cold Prairie. At first I thought it would be a classic western novel, but as time went on it was far from the normal classic. The demon and the possessions added a sense of intrigue and danger. The book in question was unique and the demon it contained would never be able to be controlled fully. It was well written with plenty of twists to keep the reader alert. I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend this novel.