Review by Booklist Review
On a beautiful May Wyoming morning, a stranger contacts Father John O'Malley, head of the Jesuit mission on the Arapaho Wind River Reservation. The Drowning Man, a cherished petroglyph, has been stolen, and the stranger wants to ransom it to the tribe. Meanwhile, attorney Vicki Holden reopens the case of an Arapaho convicted of murdering his friend. O'Malley and Holden discover their cases are linked and join forces. This twelfth Reservation mystery continues to display the satisfying hallmarks of the series: well-drawn characters, beautiful descriptions of Wyoming, an edgy air of suspense, and a difficult mystery. Along with a revealing look at the black market in artifacts, Coel develops subplots concerning Holden's relationship with lover and business-partner attorney Adam Lone Eagle, the complex issue of wilderness development, and the even more complex matter of pedophile priests. One of the best of several mystery series dealing with Native American issues and characters. --John Rowen Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of bestseller Coel's appealing 12th mystery (after 2005's Eye of the Wolf), the people of Wyoming's Wind River Reservation are devastated when an ancient petroglyph, the Drowning Man, vanishes from a wall of sacred Red Cliff Canyon. An Indian messenger tells Fr. John O'Malley, the pastor of St. Francis Mission, to inform the Shoshones and Arapahos they must pay a $250,000 ransom for the rock art, which was chiseled off the wall. Father John obliges, but also alerts the FBI. Meanwhile, attorney Vicky Holden decides to represent Travis Birdsong, who's serving time for killing his alleged partner in a glyph theft seven years earlier. Enraged locals, who believe Travis didn't get a fair trial, want Vicky's firm to concentrate on keeping a logging company from desecrating Red Cliff Canyon. Father John's conflicted feelings for Vicky, who's not sure she wants to stay with her partner, Adam Lone Eagle, and the arrival of a retired pedophile priest at the mission help keep the emotional temperature high. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Several years ago, a petroglyph (carved rock art so old it has been difficult to date as yet) was stolen from Red Cliff Canyon. Now it is being offered to the Arapaho/Shoshone people for a large sum of money. In prison sits Travis Birdsong who was convicted of stealing the petroglyph and killing his partner in crime. Travis's grandfather wants attorney Vicky Holden to get him out of jail. While Vicky reviews the Birdsong trial, Father John O'Malley works with tribal authorities and the FBI to find the stolen art. Coel, author of 12 Father O'Malley/Vicky Holden mysteries (e.g., Eye of the Wolf; The Dream Stalker), depicts the cultural and political realities of life on a Wyoming reservation. She is particularly good at portraying the fragile ties of trust that exist between Native Americans and the white community. For readers who like James D. Doss and Tony Hillerman (see below). Coel lives in Boulder, CO. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and her clerical friend investigate artifact theft and murder near the Wind River reservation. Father John O'Malley becomes involved in the hunt for the recently stolen sacred petroglyph known as "The Drowning Man" when a mysterious Indian stops him on the road and offers to return the glyph to the tribes for $250,000. At the same time, Amos Walking Bear, grandfather of Travis Birdsong, asks Vicky to reopen the case that sent Travis to prison. Travis was convicted of manslaughter in the killing of his friend when they supposedly fell out over money after stealing a glyph almost identical to The Drowning Man, a glyph that was never recovered. Although both the Tribal Council and Vicky's partner and lover Adam Lone Eagle want her to drop the case, Vicky thinks Travis was wrongly convicted and refuses to quit even after she's almost killed. It's clear that the old crime and the new one are connected. Soon enough, the FBI becomes involved in one of the many cases of stolen Native American artifacts under investigation all over the West. But it isn't until Vicky convinces Travis to come clean and Father John puts his life on the line by acting as an intermediary that the criminal masterminds are finally brought to justice. Coel (Eye of the Wolf, 2005, etc.) blends her usual thoughtful depiction of life on the reservation with a solid mystery. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
