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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Witty and engaging mystery, October 14, 2004
Ute tribe investigator Charlie Moon is visiting his aunt when a woman bursts into her trailer with a strange story of dreams, King Kong, and her husband climbing a moonbeam. Charlie and a local cop look, but can't find any sign of the missing husband--but find themselves caught in a roadblock, chasing an Indian who thinks he can fly, and generally running into the kind of trouble that the tribe pays Charlie to help them avoid. Somehow, it's up to Charlie to get to the bottom of the mysteries of missing museum pieces, a missing husband, a strange fight between a cop and an Indian who can't quite fly but is happy to sue the tribe, and, before it's over, multiple murders. Unfortunately for him, he's got to do all the detecting while his love live gets tied up in knots.
Author James D. Doss combines Native American mysticism, a rich dash of humor, a tall (7 foot), dark, and silent hero, and some confused but mostly likable criminals into a fast-reading story. Poor Charlie continues to have rotten luck with his women, great skill with his detecting, and questionable success with his ranch (although beef prices were up four cents).
As with the other books in the Charlie Moon series, THE WITCH'S TONGUE is less about who did it than watching Charlie Moon go through the paces, astound those around him, and manage to come out ahead somehow (except on the little matter of love). At times the story got a bit silly, and I would have liked to see more of Aunt Daisy and her pitukupf, but that didn't keep me from getting completely hooked. Good stuff.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Story, Nice Characters, Great Setting, November 16, 2004
Having lived in the American West for most of my life, I've long enjoyed stories that take place in places I've been. And I've been all over the four corners area. In the Charlie Moon mysteries, the action is in South Western Colorado, an area I know particularly well. And the tone of the book reflects well on the area.
The mystery tales spun by Mr. Doss are all you could want of a good mystery. The clues are there, the seemingly unconnected incidents that are creating all kinds of confusion and uproar will all come together in the end. But you knew that, this is the essence of any mystery.
The story is very well told. The characters are not supermen, they have flaws. In between is a good dose of humor. The plot is full of twists and turns, blind alleys and mis-directions so you wonder just how Charlie Moon is going to pull it off.
It's kind of like Tony Hillerman but with the Ute's instead of the Navaho. It's also without the mystical aspects, which makes for a story that I happen to like better.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
terrific Native American mystery, September 29, 2004
All hell has broken loose on the Ute Reservation in the Granite Creek, Colorado area. After physically abusing his wife, Jacob Rattle vanishes in Spirit Canyon (to the joyful relief of his spouse). At about the same time, someone steals coins and cameos that museum owner Jane Cassidy claims is worth millions. Antiques dealer Ralph Briggs tells Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon about a shady deal when he is shot. At a roadblock to catch the museum thieves, Felix Navarone is "treed" by Officer Jim Wolfe landing in jail.
Legal Aide trainee Eddie Ganado visits Felix; who not long afterward is released. . Charlie ignores the mess to work on his ranch but his aunt pressures him to become involved as Jim stole corpse powder from her. Charlie really changes his mind when he meets FBI Special Agent Lia McTeague in charge of the investigation. He is attracted to her and like any male needs to show off his prowess by trying to uncover who is killing people and why.
Combining humor with Native American mythos, James D. Doss proves he is a shaman when it comes to providing a terrific mystery. The story line is fueled on two levels with the obvious homicides and other havoc on the one hand and the Charlie-Lia on the other hand. Both ties nicely together as it is the attraction to Lia that coaxes Charlie to need to solve the case. Fans of Charlie (this being his eighth appearance) already know why Mr. Doss' Moon novels are always amongst the genre's best, but newcomers will see first hand the proof of that assertion.
Harriet Klausner
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