Spirit of the Northwest is a published Distant Sequel of Here Come the Brides, written by Charlotte Fox.
Kathryn Bolt, the daughter of Jeremy and Candy, is about to be married to Steven Fairfield when Jerome Douglas, a guest lecturer from Kathryn's college with whom she enjoyed a brief friendship, bursts into the church and puts a stop to the wedding. While everyone is still reeling, the Great Seattle Fire
breaks out, and everyone must work to extinguish it.
Spirit of the Northwest contains examples of:
- Alliterative Family: Jeremy and Candy follow the Bolt tradition by naming their son Jonathan.
- Artistic License – History: There's talk of giving Jeremy a blood transfusion, which is treated as a routine procedure. In real life, different blood types weren't discovered until the early 1900s; before that, blood transfusions were rare, dangerous, and largely shunned by the medical establishment.
- Been There, Shaped History: Douglas is spotted running around with a torch, setting buildings on fire.
- Bound and Gagged: Douglas and his accomplice escape from their cells, trick Deputy Sheriff Bennett into opening the door to the prison area, then grab him, disarm him, bind and gag him, and leave him in a cell.
- "Burly Detective" Syndrome: Steven is referred to as "the freckle-faced youth."
- Left for Dead: Douglas shoots Jeremy twice and leaves him in a hotel that's expected to burn down soon. He's rescued by firefighters.
- Long Last Look: When the fire gets too close to the Shamus O'Flynn, Jeremy and Joshua go in to evacuate Captain Clancey. He looks sadly around his cabin before leaving with the brothers.
- Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Douglas burst into Kathryn and Steven's wedding, falsely claiming she had sex with him. He flees on horseback before he can be questioned. Steven isn't sure whether to believe him or not, and Kathryn is so hurt by his lack of faith in her that they decide to call off the wedding.
