"It is Painted Post, after all,” is a joke, turned into a signal, turned into a clue, turned into legend. The answers to the questions at the beginning of this review are partly found in the way Crance layers in hints of a deeper mythology. The inextricably woven bond between the local folklore and the tragedies and triumphs of the Ernst family.

There's a magic here, if you know where to look. . .

The Ryland Creek saga chronicles the story of the Ernst family of Painted Post.