When Jess Harney explains "the house was left to us women" near the end of Whiskey When We're Dry, it's jarring. John Larison's character is so convincing as a man, it's hard to remember that Jess was Jessilyn before disguising herself at 17 and riding her beloved mare in search of her brother, a notorious outlaw and the only family she has.
Her mother died in childbirth, leaving newborn Jessilyn with her father and five-year-old Noah in their remote cabin. A rough homesteader who fled west during the Civil War, Pa is inept at both parenting and ranching. Disgusted and headstrong, teenage Noah leaves home and a distraught Jessilyn. After Pa dies, she considers her options and heads out.
Jess and Noah were childhood sharpshooters. Noah's wanted posters confirm his skills, so Jess knows she needs to aim true to survive. As a small young man, her talent draws the attention of the narcissistic governor of the territory, who takes Jess in, planning to bet on the unassuming young gunslinger. Life in the governor's mansion brings her face to face with brutal frontier justice, racism, political skullduggery and her emerging sense of self. Always good at heart and loyal, Jess's unwavering goal is to find Noah.
Whiskey When We're Dry is historical fiction, but locales are unnamed and geography and boundaries significant only as they affect Jess, Noah and the people in their lives, who represent the diversity of the western expansion. For any setting, Jessilyn Harney's story is a great adventure. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco