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Book Review of Klondike Doctor (Yukon Gold Rush, Bk 1) (Harlequin Historicals, No 848)

Klondike Doctor (Yukon Gold Rush, Bk 1) (Harlequin Historicals, No 848)
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This is a pleasant yarn about a newly-minted physician wanting to start her practice in the Yukon. The problem is that she is a great distance from Dawson City; her father decides that she can go along with a special group of Mounties.

Unfortunately, they are going undercover and are not happy about taking a prissy, sharp-tongued lady; also, Dr. Elizabeth Langley and Sergeant Colt Hunter have a history that was not pleasant for either of them.

The plan was for 6 Mounties to pose as brothers, taking a large cache of goods into the Yukon for sale. They were hoping to entice a band of experienced robbers into their trap; these men have robbed hundreds along the trails to the gold fields.

Elizabeth horns her way into this family of brothers; the Mounties will have enough trouble catching this well-established gang without having a woman along. Since Elizabeth is the daughter of Colt Hunter's employer, he has no choice. All 6 let her know they would prefer to carry a plague with them rather than a woman.

Elizabeth is an interesting character; she is just what a reader would expect a woman to act like, since she was one of the early women who pushed the envelope of what society allowed them to do. There was incredible prejudice against women doctors ... actually any woman who wanted to do more than teach or be a wife and mother.

Elizabeth also carries the burden of a death-bed confession of a dear relative. She feels compelled to find out if the confession is true and make restitution to the injured parties. The author has done her research; she describes the Alaskan Gold Rush conditions accurately. This is a quick story without a great deal of depth. 3.5 stars