From Publishers Weekly
In the action-packed 13th adventure (after 2006's
Mourning Dove) of Special Investigator Ella Clah of the Navajo Tribal Police, an anonymous tip alerts her team to the murder of waitress Valerie Tso, whose body the killer arranged in a kneeling position "as if in prayer." Ella soon recalls similarities to a crime she investigated years earlier during her time off rez in Los Angeles—one of several connections she makes between current and long-ago crimes. Valerie's mother, Lena, is a close friend of Ella's mom, but Lena's desire for swift vengeance puts the families at odds. As more deaths occur, Ella seeks to apprehend the killer before the Fierce Ones, the vigilante group Lena has called on, extract their own version of justice. The symbolism at several murder scenes points Ella to the church where her father, murdered 10 years earlier, once preached, and also to the congregation shepherded by her romantic interest, Rev. Bilford Tome. The Thurlos enrich the mystery plot with detailed reference to Navajo beliefs in tension with modern Christianity.
(Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* The Thurlos are such deft hands at setting and mood that it's hard not to say "ahhhh" when sinking under the spell of one of their mysteries. This is the twelfth in the acclaimed Ella Clah series (the Thurlos also write the Lee Nez and Sister Agatha series). Clah is a Navajo Police special investigator, a woman trying to balance a demanding career with single motherhood and the traditions of her upbringing. One of the special pleasures of the Ella Clah novels is the way the authors develop their overall theme of "walking in beauty" (being able to find the balance between positive and negative forces in life). Ella's personal struggles with the nature of her job, seeking justice in the aftermath of brutal crimes, perfectly reflect the theme. In the latest, Ella investigates a sadistically staged murder (the victim, a young Navajo woman, has been put in a prayerful, kneeling position next to her bed). Ella knows the victim, who is the mother of a babysitter on whom Ella relies. The first phase of the investigation centers on whether the murder was premeditated or whether it resulted from a burglary gone bad. The second phase concentrates on catching a serial killer whose trail leads back to Ella's murdered father. The breakneck pace of this crime hunt contrasts satisfyingly with the backdrop of life on the res. One of the highlights in an outstanding series.
Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
