The Understanding Heart

Split feelings about this one. On one hand it's super sweet and is a gentle love story between two forest rangers in a California state park (incorrectly referred to in the book as a national park instead of state park) and deals with some of the law-enforcement and firefighting duties of those along the lines of rangers. On the other hand, it highlights weaknesses of the justice system as a man is on the run from prison when he didn't commit the crime in the first place. This escaped convict is the real hero of the piece but a tragic hero at that.

It carries beautiful descriptions of the land and the reasons the locals love it. Most of the folks are pleasant to meet. But it also ascribes to the “social gospel” of the times with a few sincere mentions of faith as an important element of life but then the 20s cancers of teaching evolution as fact and looking down on other races as inferior (complete with multiple instances of n* as a racial slur, and an intended one at that). There is also quite frequent cussing and profanity.

Recommended for adult readers who don't mind sorting past a few annoyances for a well-characterized story.