Hello, Stranger: A Mustang Sally Mystery    by Virginia Swift Order:  USA  Can HarperCollins, 2006 (2006) Hardcover     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Mustang Sally Alder returns in the fourth entry of this series featuring the former honky-tonk singer turned history professor in Laramie, Wyoming. A bright student of Sally's turns up at her office severely beaten and refuses to allow Sally to call the police and an ambulance. Sally gives her money and a coat and then proceeds to worry about her. Digging into the girl's past, she finds that Charlie has been abused for years and carted off to mental institutions to endure even more anguish. When her abusive father is found dead, Charlie and her boyfriend Billy are accused of his murder. Hello, Stranger has a tightly written plot with plenty of action throughout the book. I like Sally Alder. She makes no apologies for the life she led before she turned legit. She'd just rather not talk about it. When she's your friend, you're stuck with her for life. A good thing. She and her significant other, Hawk, seem to mesh well even with their not unexpected differences of opinion. Her working relationship with the local police officer is tenuous at best, though their personal relationship borders on physical attraction and his wish to play father to her. Charlie's Christian stepmother comes on strongly as someone trying to change the world. Could it be that the change is more for her benefit than others? Hello, Stranger is a good book that reads quickly but well. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews