In A Promise of Water by Sharon Scarborough, Oswald Nightingale was a Texas Ranger and by all accounts one of the best until he got fed up and quit. Nightingale receives a summons to the office of the new governor where she makes him an offer; accompany a lawyer to East Texas and convince a landowner to sell her property to the state for construction of a reservoir. If he is successful, the governor will make sure his community of Broken Rock in West Texas has a reliable source of water.

Things start to go wrong from the start when the government lawyer dies under suspicious circumstances. To secure the much needed water for his home, Nightingale decides to finish the job, but then the landowner is murdered and a young teenager becomes the prime suspect. Nightingale reverts back to his old Ranger days to find the murderer and solve the case, and even being attacked and severely beaten won’t stop him. In the end, he realizes that he really didn’t know some people after all.

A Promise of Water is a well designed and developed story of dishonesty, intrigue, and murder. The plotting is done in a manner that keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages to see what happens next. Nightingale is likable if somewhat flawed, but when he rescues an abandoned puppy, his true character shines through. I did, however, have mixed feelings about Garrick, his old Ranger friend. The dialogue between the characters was well done. I really enjoy a good mystery story without the use of excessive violence, sex or strong language. If you prefer good, simple mysteries, then this book is for you.

A great success for a debut novel, A Promise of Water by Sharon Scarborough is a character-driven Western that follows the life and the scuffles of a small town in Texas, a beautiful meld of a gritty investigation and political conflict. Meet ex-Texas Ranger, Oswald Nightingale, now back in his drought-riddled homeland of Broken Rock. He receives an offer from the governor that he can’t refuse: accompany a lawyer to East Texas and convince a landowner to sell her property to the state. That property is ideal for the construction of a reservoir that would bring water to Broken Rock. But things turn bad when the landowner is murdered and a teenager becomes the suspect. Nightingale has to choose between loyalty to the governor and his innate love for justice.

The story opens with a powerful description of the protagonist and a backstory that is so skillfully crafted into it. The reader immediately gets an idea of the man they are dealing with: “He was too tall for the small eighteenth century settee, and it was lumpy—probably still filled with horsehair from some beat-up elderly horse a hundred years ago.” And this kind of writing fills every page of this engaging story. The author’s deft handling of conflict, the cunning plot, and the genius in weaving elements of suspense and humor into the story contribute to enrich the overall reading experience. I loved the setting and the vivid images the author creates in the reader’s mind — a time of drought and hardship, which quickly becomes a desperate time for the inhabitants of West Texas. Sharon Scarborough’s A Promise of Water is a beautifully told story, fast-paced and engrossing.