Right off, I want to say that I’m a Gill McKnight fan. I liked Falling Star and really liked Green-Eyed Monster. Now, Goldenseal, I pretty much loved. If you’ve read the two earlier books I just mentioned, you’ll notice that the author’s writing style has matured. Her sense of humor is still present, as is the decidedly European influence in the words used which are definitely not a normal part of American vocabulary. It took all my will power to write this review instead of starting on the sequel right away.

Ok, Goldenseal is the story of Amy, Leone, the Garoul family, and a big secret. Amy and Leone have a long history filled with love and hurt and Amy isn’t very happy with being in close proximity with Leone again. But when her Aunt Connie falls ill and isn’t able to complete an urgent project, Amy flies to Little Dip – the valley in Oregon owned by the Garoul family – to fill in. While working on the project, Amy comes upon a mysterious code and becomes quite determined to crack it. Which, of course, leads to all sorts of trouble.

McKnight weaves what I thought was a great story with wonderfully described scenes and characters that are easy to connect to and identify with. Sweet, violent, and funny at times, Goldenseal kept my attention from start to finish.