June 10, 2002
Fans of Matlock's Cold Tea on a Hot Day
will welcome this smooth continuation of life in the cozy town of Valentine, Okla., where newspaper editor Tate Holloway and his star reporter, Marilee James, are preparing for their wedding day. The story opens with Marilee and Tate experiencing a bad case of premarital jitters. Adding to their stress is Marilee's ex-husband, Stuart, who shows up at her door after a two-year absence with the news that he's dying of cancer, and he wants Marilee and their special-needs son, Willie Lee, at his side for his final days. Marilee is generous to a fault, but she resents the thought of having to give up her life for a man who never cared for anyone but himself. Still, she realizes that her son deserves a chance to establish a relationship, however short, with his father. Soon Marilee finds herself balancing Tate's feelings, Willie Lee's newly discovered ability to heal animals, her troubled niece, Corrine, and her self-involved mother while planning a wedding that is getting out of control. Once again, Matlock delivers a gentle, glowing tale that is as sweet and sunny as its smalltown setting. Readers will be delighted by this deft mix of romance and inspirational, slice-of-life drama.