I'm a long time fan of Mr. Margolin. He 1st hooked me with "Gone but not Forgotten" and I've been reading his stuff ever since.

This book is not like his typical murder mystery books even though there is definitely murder throughout. This story is set in Portland where recent laws prevent negroes from being kept as slaves. Worthy Brown, his wife and their daughter were brought to Oregon by there master and promised freedom shortly after arrival which does not go as promised.

Matthew Penny is also a recent arrival to Oregon from Ohio. He lost wife to drowning while crossing a river and he is trying to put his life back together by practicing law.

There are very good and very bad people in this book and they are all interesting to read about. What I loved most about this book though was that it doesn't adhere to the "anything that could go wrong will" policy which is so refreshing! Resolving conflict is central to book themes and as the reader you know everything can't go smoothly because than where would be the plot? Here some things do work out for the best right in the beginning and then the story moves on to new issues. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy books set back in the era where slaves were being freed and towns were still small enough where everyone knew everyone.

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This is my first Margolin novel. His style is much like that of Sidney Sheldon and Jeffrey Archer. This is not heavy literature but is an enjoyable quick read. Roxanne Brown, the character in the title, is not a main character and her story isn't the main story but one of several plot lines. I think the book would have been more compelling had the sole focus been on the story of Worthy Brown, a freed slave, who sued his former master for custody of Brown's daughter who the owner continued to hold as a slave though Oregon's state constitution forbid it. This was loosely based on a true story.

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