Customer Reviews

Dead Lizard's Dance

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What I love most about this book and Christie's first, "The King's Lizard", is how well they both let me feel what it might have been like to live in old Santa Fe. It's a complicated place, with Native American history, Spanish and Mexican history as well as US history and she winds a mystery all through this book that is understandable and fascinating. Nando is an interesting and roguish narrator who because of his mixed heritage, is able to slip in and out of many unusual places, find the villains and protect the innocent. This story goes from the governor of the territory all the way down to the region's "curandera's", who in those days were considered witches for their herbal healing knowledge. This is a good, fast-paced read that leaves you with the satisfied feeling of having read a good story and having also picked up a little knowledge on the way.

Hold on to your sombrero! This whirlwind adventure throws you on your heels as you try to keep your balance and stay up with the pace of life in Old Santa Fe. The plot is as twisted and convoluted as a trail through the Sangre de Cristo, while weaving a clash of cultures with ambition, greed, lust, witchcraft, treachery and revenge. Suspense and intrigue are richly blended with history and local lore to bring the past alive. Pamela Christie etches vivid images of the land, the weather, even the streets of Santa Fe. Thought you knew life in the early Spanish southwest? Think again. Nothing is what it seems to be, - except this is a wonderfully crafted thriller.

As someone who moved to Santa Fe because of the climate, the culture, the people.....it has been exciting to read Pamela Christie's historical novels about the early days of Spanish New Mexico. The history is accurate, the writing is well done; it keeps my interest from start to finish. Looking forward to more of the same.