From Publishers Weekly In the conclusion to her Empire trilogy， set in the early 18th century， Ross brings to life the spirit and patriotism of the pioneering Holt family. Clay Holt is on a government mission to track the elusive Comte Jacques de la Carde， a French nobleman suspected of illegal land-grabbing schemes and of conspiring with hostile Indians. Saddled with a wife and child and besieged by foul weather， Holt continually remains a step behind his nemesis， and it seems that the U.S. government will lose the Western Territory to the New French Empire. After dropping off his family in a pioneer settlement， Clay， posing as a guide， rescues la Carde's group from an Indian attack and rather predictably spoils their plans. Fans of the series may be left hoping for more: Ross leaves the Holt affairs on an ambiguous note， with Clay's brother Jeff returning from an Indian settlement in Russian Alaska with a story of his own to tell. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information， Inc.