The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels

When we last saw Lucy Hatch, the spunky young widow of Moyer's first novel, she had succumbed to the whirlwind courtship of irresistible Ash Farrell, day-job carpenter and nighttime singer of country blues at the honky-tonk in their small northeast Texas town. Three months later and still steamy with sexual combustion, Lucy and Ash are shocked by the arrival of Ash's 14-year-old daughter, Denny, who's dumped on their doorstep by her flyaway mom. Lucy is knocked askew. Not only is she suddenly a surrogate parent, she also discovers that she's about to become a mother herself. The suspense of this sequel is activated by the leading characters' secrets. Lucy is afraid to tell Ash about the baby; Ash has ambitions in Nashville that he's keeping close to his chest; and ugly duckling Denny just wants to sing and play the guitar like her father does. Complications ensue, but they're down to earth and credible, if not dramatic. As before, Moyer makes the smalltown Texas atmosphere almost palpable: the heat, the (always good-hearted) gossip; the daily, dedicated beer drinking; the consumption of fast and fried foods are as authentic as a 10-gallon hat. Celebrations such as Juneteenth and the Fourth of July have a real rural flavor, and the twanging plaints of country music infuse everyday lives. When Denny's friendship with a black boy incites racism, the plot twist is predictable. On the other hand, Moyer springs a surprising insight into Ash's past, in the person of his mysterious mother, to explain the contradictory impulses that rule his behavior. While the romantic pas de deux in The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch had an astringent edge, this novel has the sweeter tone of people making do with the hands life deals them. Readers who met Lucy the first time around will want to follow the further adventures of this engaging heroine.
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