Shaman Sings [School & Library Binding]

James D. Doss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995

Modern science meets ancient native American mysteries in southwestern Colorado, when the two forces collide during the investigation into the murder of a young graduate student. A first novel.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Science and mysticism, ghosts and hard-edged cop work combine to stunning effect in this first novel set in Native American lands of Colorado. Daisy Perika, an aged Ute shaman, sees images of imminent death in her dreams and outside her remote trailer. Daisy understands her visions. Not so Scott Parrish, chief of police in a nearby town, who has similar experiences while investigating the murder of Priscilla Song. Song, a researcher at the university, was stabbed to death while working on her computer. The obvious suspect in the university murder is the Mexican handyman, who compounds his guilt by taking off cross-country and leaving corpses in his wake. Yet soon after the murder, a miraculous breakthrough in the application of superconductors, Song's field, is announced by another professor. Clues in the case include cryptic letters the victim left on a computer screen, odd abrasions found in the roof of her mouth and the fact that her research is missing. Doss keeps his reader's attention focused by nimbly leaping among points of view: the killer answers to a hidden Voice; the cop stumbles along, comprehending little; Daisy's spiritual reveries are rife with legend and symbolism; the canny caretaker and a big, dumb cop named Piggy conduct a bloody yet oddly humorous chase that manipulates the reader's sense of sympathy. Doss, an electrical engineer, sets off quite a spark with this ambitious, successful debut.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As it often does, sex plays a role in the murder of an attractive and conniving grad student eviscerated in a university physics lab. Police zero in on the Mexican maintenance man who flees the scene, but a Native American shaman in the area (southwestern Colorado) envisions another suspect. Several characters, in fact, including the chief of police, experience foreboding dreams. A unique blend of Ute mysticism, Mexican fatalism, and university skepticism adds depth and color to a finely written first novel.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417616350
• ISBN-13: 978-1417616350
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

More About the Author

JAMES D. DOSS is the author of twelve Charlie Moon mysteries, two of which were named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly. Originally from Kentucky, he divides his time between Los Alamos and Taos, New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An artful mixture of cultures, April 13, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Shaman Sings (Shaman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

In "The Shaman Sings," set in southwestern Colorado, the author artfully combines the worlds of Indian mysticism and modern science. Apparently inspired by Tony Hillerman (there's a direct reference to his books), Mr. Doss is no mere imitator; he has his own original approach. He skillfully shifts point of view among a diverse array of characters: the town police chief, the aged Indian woman who is the shaman of the title, a psychopathic maintenance man on the lam, a British expatriate recluse who was a cipher expert during WWII, and various members of the physics department at the local university. And he lets us into the mind of the madman killer, who at first could be any one of a number of characters. Gradually the possibilities are narrowed down until at last, thanks to the shaman, we find out whodunit. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars verdaeni on 'the shaman sings', January 22, 2003

By 

Kathleen Loughlin (oceanside, ca USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Shaman Sings (Shaman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great book for people that like some humor with their mysteries. Although the titles of this series sound like the shaman is going to be the main protagonist, it doesn't work that way. There is a very humorous interaction between Charlie Moon, of the Tribal Police, who doesn't believe in magic, and his Grandmother who pretends she doesn't when around the priest but who sneaks out to confer with the local landspirit, a type of dwarf. The mystery is well thought out and kept interesting by the complex (but not TOO complex) characters. Of great importantce to me is that the characters also act within their characterization and motivations. This is a particular joy in this book where Charlie and his Grandmother are often working at cross purposes motive wize and a delightful weave of information back and forth as you move towards the ending. The grandmother in particular is sort of a ute 'maxine' with never a good word to say and a hillarious lineup of grumbles and mumbled complaints.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half Moon, April 27, 2008

By 

Mark Stevens (Denver) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Shaman Sings (Shaman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

An engaging start gets very tangled and complicated. The style is breezy and loose. Caution that the narrative switches points of view in the same chapter or section; you have to be alert to these changing points of view. I had a really hard time believing that a cop would invite a reporter along on the investigation, for a long car trip, right after they had met. I had even harder time believing a small-town reporter would venture off on investigation to Washington, D.C. Nonetheless, the characters were sharp and distinct and the setting is rich. Caution that Charlie Moon doesn't show up until near the end.