Natalie M. Dossett

author of SARITA

*available September 10, 2024

"Natalie Musgrave Dossett’s Sarita lands itself in the pantheon of classic Texas literature––the family saga as readers experienced in the work of Janice Woods Windle (True Women) and Philipp Meyer (The Son) … Not since True Grit have we celebrated a plucky young girl on a mission to set her turbulent, dusty world right. [Dossett is] a novelist who devoted several years to tell this story as only the daughter of South Texas ranchers ever could. She knows this country, and she knows her craft. I found her storytelling and artistic chops right in line for fans of historical fiction."

"Natalie Dossett's latest offering is a worthy contender in a variety of genres, and will appeal to a diverse audience. For readers captivated by historical fiction with a touch of mystery and a strong female lead, Sarita will provide many hours of entertainment."

"Sarita is a deftly drawn character encompassing complexity, toughness, and vulnerability. This novel will please readers in search of a thrilling plot that is thoughtfully executed. A powerful tale of revenge and perseverance in the face of danger."

"Historical thrillers typically lean towards thriller elements more than historical backdrops, but Natalie Musgrave Dossett's Sarita does an outstanding job of blending both in a story that simmers ... the tension is so finely tuned that the pivot points in Sarita's endeavors prove captivating ... Dossett creates a vivid tale that leads readers through a frontier world with allusions almost poetic in their atmospheric observations ..."

"There's enough horse rustling, gunfights, and outlaws to keep any Larry McMurtry fan happy ... There's a lovely sisterhood between the women in this story ... What makes it more poignant is that they are all quite different to each other in manners, class, respectability, and morals, but they hold together ..."

SARITA

In the summer of 1920, nineteen-year-old Sarita’s younger brother, JJ, bleeds to death in her arms after being shot by Javier Salsito de Ortega, a ruthless tequila smuggler. The Texas Rangers have their hands full with Prohibition and border issues. Still, Sarita is stunned when they refuse to help.

JJ’s death devastates her father. Without a male heir, Sarita fears he will give in to the oil prospector intent on buying their family ranch, La Barroneña. Even in his despair, she knows her father yearns for justice, but he is too ill and weak to seek it.

Sarita isn’t.

Determined to prove herself and change her fate, she crosses the Rio Grande into a world of deadly threats––from rattlesnakes to Pancho Villa’s rebels to the very killer she’s hunting. Quickly, Sarita realizes she’s stumbled into a web of danger far bigger and more sinister than she imagined. If she is caught, the consequences could jeopardize innocent lives and put her father’s safety at risk.

In a tumultuous landscape of social and political upheaval, what lines will Sarita have to cross to survive? Will her relentless pursuit of justice exact a price too steep to bear? If she succeeds––if she gets home––will she have earned her father’s respect? Will she have secured her family’s future?