The River Devil
The River Devil opens in Kansas City in April 1872. The heroine, disguised as a man, is a much sought-after “runaway railroad heiress.” Rosalind Schuyler’s brothers taught her to dress and act like a boy. Her father taught her to play poker like a professional, taking her with him to play in gambling establishments. She has no trouble posing as a riverboat gambler. The only person to recognize her is Hal Lindsay, a riverboat pilot, who had seen her once in New York. That brief glimpse had burned itself into his subconscious, and his body reacts so strongly to the male stranger across the poker table that he recognizes her at once. They begin a torrid love affair on the spot. There follows a harrowing race down the Missouri River to catch the escaping villain, their common enemy.
Whiteside’s hero is likable, the heroine gutsy, and the villain despicable. Her love scenes are highly erotic. The descriptions of riverboat life on the Missouri River are illuminating. Too often, however, the narrative is interrupted by flashbacks and fantasies that slow the action and destroy the tension. A geographical error and a poker anachronism may disturb the purist.