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This is the third book chronicling the life of Ezra Riley, Montana rancher, award-winning author, and when necessary, minister. Ezra's life is centered around those duties along with his wife, Anne, and son, Dylan. Things are slightly complicated by the fact that Anne has gone back to school to become a nurse and Dylan is a high school senior, but this family still has a comfortable routine. It doesn't last long.
The first thread begins to unravel when Anne brings home a young woman who's been badly beaten in order to nurse her back to health. The woman, Diamond LaFontaine, brings with her a heap of trouble in the form of her "boyfriend," Demetrius Pratt. Pratt is the ultimate environmentalist -- a man who finds private property, domesticated animals, and even civilized society to be an abomination of the natural order. It is his responsibility to restore that order. Ezra Riley's critically acclaimed book Leaving the Land with its tales of taming the West, just proves to Pratt that Ezra should be shown the error of his ways.
To further complicate the picture, Ezra's pastor, Tom Jablonski, has decided to visit his hometown in Pennsylvania and asks Ezra to fill the pulpit in his absence.
Incidentally, Lilith Foster, the most beautiful, alluring woman ever to live in Yellow Rock, just so happens to need counseling about her problem with adultery and has specifically requested to see Ezra Riley. Ezra is a happily married man and father. Certainly Lilith isn't interested in him as anything more than a counselor, is she?
John L. Moore spins this tale with a passion born of a love of the land. He could be Ezra Riley. As he paints his vivid word pictures, you can almost see the wilderness unfold before your eyes, taking in the sights, sounds, even the smells of the Riley ranch. At times his descriptions can be unwieldy, but mostly they draw the reader more deeply into the story, and often add humor when it's least expected: "Wednesday it rained. No one predicted it. The clouds simply rolled in without permission and lingered like Jehovah's Witnesses on a doorstep."
If you have a love for the Old West, or if you just watch an occasional rerun of "Gunsmoke," you'll find John Moore's book a challenging and uplifting return to yesteryear -- literally. It's set in 1995.
Will Demetrius Pratt force a showdown with Ezra? Does Lilith have designs on him? Why is everyone in the Riley household having unnerving dreams, and what is the true meaning of Betty Lou Barberšs dream of the wolf attacking Ezra? The Limits of Mercy gives the answers, and shows just how challenging the New West can be.
David Park is a Christian comedian and humor writer from Franklin, TN.
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