Lori Armstrong brings taste of South Dakota into her novels

It's the geographical diversity - the plains, the Badlands, the mountains - that holds so much intrigue for Armstrong. That's why the Rapid City author, whose new book "No Mercy" was published this month, sets many of her stories here. In "No Mercy," Armstrong tells the story of Mercy Gunderson, a sharp shooter who takes a debilitating medical leave from the Army after her father's death to reassemble the broken remains of her family at their ranch in the Black Hills. But even as she leaves the war in Iraq, a new battleground is brewing on her own property as she fights for the land that's been in her family for generations. "Mercy is cool headed, but she never wanted to come back to South Dakota. Having to come back to South Dakota was probably the worst punishment for her," Armstrong says. "No Mercy" marks the beginning of Armstrong's second mystery series. The first, the Julie Collins mysteries, garnered a number of honors for Armstrong, including the 2007 Willa Cather Literary Award for best original softcover fiction and the 2009 Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for the best paperback original. Armstrong currently is finishing the second book in the series, "Mercy Kill."...read more