From Publishers Weekly
When witches bother widow Loyola Montoya at the start of Doss's enjoyable 14th mystery to feature part-time Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon (after 2008's
Snake Dreams), the strange old Apache woman phones Charlie, the only man she knows in Granite Creek, Colo., who will listen to her complaints. By the time Charlie arrives at Loyola's remote 10-acre farm, she's perished in a kitchen fire apparently caused by a fallen kerosene lamp. Was her death accidental, or were the people camped on nearby land owned by the Blue Diamond Natural Gas Company somehow involved? As Moon, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague and police chief Scott Parris pursue what turns into a criminal investigation, the violence only gets worse. While Doss successfully evokes the mysticism of traditional Native American storytelling, his choppy chapters with their frequent point-of-view shifts may frustrate new readers. Series fans familiar with his style will welcome spending time with old friends.
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Review
Praise for James D. Doss
“Snake Dreams is the thirteenth novel in this series, and since it’s a very good one—funny, smart, and totally different—it’s a great place for readers to discover Moon.”
—Toronto Globe and Mail on Snake Dreams
“Outstanding… The narrator clearly is having fun as he unveils his tale, liberally laced with Native American lore, character idiosyncrasies, comedic asides, and a plot that weaves and twists like a highway in the Rockies.”
—Library Journal (starred review) on Snake Dreams
“James D. Doss’s novels about Charlie Moon… feel as if the author is sitting around a campfire, spinning a tall tale that engulfs a circle of listeners.… Doss’s tale is evocative of the area and of Indian lore, and his chatty, down-home style shines.”
—Florida Sun-Sentinel on Three Sisters
“Doss’s trademark humor keeps Charlie and Scott wisecracking as the plot spins smartly along to an unpredictable ending.… The most recent Charlie Moon mysteries still charm us with Western voices and ways.”
—Rocky Mountain News on Three Sisters
“Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajo.”
—The Denver Post