Hunkpapa Reservation, South Dakota, 1890, 1892; London, 1892

The Thunderer wanted revenge for the deaths of his four children. The Creator will not allow the Thunderer to destroy all the bands of Native Americans that he holds responsible. They must not be killed. Instead, the Creator sends all the bands into a place of mist, where they will remain until the Thunderer is pleased. And in the years to follow, every generation, a young man would try to redeem his band. One by one, redemption was gained. Now, only the Black Fire band remains inside the mist. Warrior Black Lion is the hope of his band.

Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show has hired many native Americans and cowboys as performers. Two Bears, a friend of Black Lion, has been injured, and Black Lion offers to take his place in the show. No one ever looks at an Indian anyway. Black Lion, fully aware that he has little time to make peace with the Thunderer, goes off to London and becomes part of the show that rivals any of its day.

Suzette Joselyn is a singer, as is her grandmother, Irena. Both have come to see the Wild West Show. William Blair, Earl of Lankersheim, is Suzette's fiancé. Suzette literally runs into Black Lion, who is late for a performance, and winds up in the mud. She is not pleased when all she gets is a bit of help in the form of his helping her to her feet. Because of the customs of the times, they should not be seen together, much less touch.

When her grandmother disappears, Suzette hopes to find her. She is dismayed to learn that Irena is no longer in England. William's mother has never liked Suzette and finds reasons to break off the engagement citing inappropriate behavior. William upholds his mother's objections. Even the fact that Suzette is pregnant with William's baby does not sway them.

Unwilling to go home to her parents, Suzette hies herself off to America to search for her grandmother. She runs into Black Lion again, and he agrees to be a husband in name only in order to give her child a name. But his time outside the mist is growing short, and the Thunderer is not yet appeased. And what happens when love enters the equation?

THE LAST WARRIOR is a busy book with lots of people, traveling, and secrets. A marriage between a white and Indian is frowned upon by society. So, even if he finds a way to get the Thunderer to let his band be part of the world again, what chance do Black Lion and Suzette have of a happily-ever-after? Karen Kay doesn't tangle her story threads and winds everything up satisfactorily. THE LAST WARRIOR is a nice, gently rousing tale of life in the Old West. I recommend it.

Vi Janaway