The protagonist of Samar Reine’s SHE DIED THEN SHOWED ME (the first in a series) is Peyton Chase, daughter in an uber-wealthy family in Abiquiú, New Mexico. Lodged on Pioneer Ranch, a massive estate with a hefty work force and a long history, the Chase family has reigned as both the town’s key economic force and its cultural elite, thanks largely to Peyton’s deceased mother, a renowned artist aesthetically similar to (and as admired as) Georgia O’Keefe. Upon her father’s death, Peyton learns to her shock that he has left her in deep debt. Now she must face the likelihood of losing her beloved ranch, which contains not only her mother’s paintings but also the ghosts of unresolved pain (regarding her difficult relationships with her parents). Her troubles quickly multiply when she discovers that she couldn’t sell the paintings if she wanted to. Furthermore, her estranged half-sister demands—in terms that appear to be legally binding—major restitution for what she believes is owed her, despite the fact that the Chase fortune is gone. Now Peyton faces the possibility that she will also need to sell her second beach home in Mendocino, California.

Emotional complications build around a former lover, a wealthy and charming scoundrel who has returned to woo her, and a tentative relationship with a good man who lacks the spark of her former lover but has the potential to offer her something more honest. Additional complications center around a few of the ranch’s employees, two Native American orphan boys, Peyton’s volatile and unpredictable niece, and—at the heart of the novel—Peyton’s deep reservations about her skills as a painter who has always struggled in her mother’s shadow. Author Reine’s dialogue and descriptions are robust, creative, and sophisticated. Peyton, angered and determined, “punished the ground with each step as she hammered up the path.” Out a window, she views “the curl of mountains on the horizon.” The story organically echoes its theme: “We don’t fear loss. We fear never trying.” It moves along at a healthy clip, each complication building on top of the previous one until the ending smoothly ties up both the theme and the narrative. To its detriment, however, the protagonist indulges in a level of class entitlement that can leave her unsympathetic as a character, most notably with her casual insouciance regarding cultural and class concerns. The love triangle is cliched, and its resolution is predictable. Still, Peyton’s struggle with her own inner demons is one that can resonate universally, regardless of class or position on the social ladder. And the vivid images Reine paints of the Southwestern landscape and its environs create a three-dimensional backdrop for a skillfully told tale.

Strong storytelling skills and vivid descriptions are marred somewhat by an unsympathetic protagonist and a predictable love triangle in Samar Reine’s SHE DIED THEN SHOWED ME.

~Anne Welsbacher for IndieReader