Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Coel introduces a tenacious heroine, Denver investigative reporter Catherine McLeod, in this stellar first in a new series. After an attempt on her life, Catherine realizes she was far from a random target when Arapaho elder Norman Whitehorse informs her that she's one of us. Adopted as a child and still unsure of her identity and heritage, Catherine begins to understand the deep connection she feels to her latest story, about the 1864 Indian massacre at Sand Creek. Whitehorse and Cheyenne leaders call for the tribes' further compensation for Sand Creek, but when Catherine starts digging, she realizes that there's more to the land fight than meets the eye, and the trail leads all the way to Washington. With a killer hot on her heels and his collateral damage accumulating, Catherine hurtles toward a conclusion that's both fitting and unanticipated. A cameo appearance by Coel's usual leading lady, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden (The Girl with Braided Hair, etc.), hints at a much welcome future collaboration between these two crime-solving women. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
An investigative reporter's knowledge may make her an assassin's target. Walking her dog late one night, Catherine McLeod senses that she's being followed by a rapist. She dashes home to call Maury Beekner, her divorce lawyer and friend, and the police, who arrive just in time to chase off the man who's shot Maury. Catherine keeps working as Maury fights for his life. She thinks the shooting was a random act of violence, but the police disagree. Her recently divorced husband, scion of one of Denver's first families, offers her a refuge at the well-guarded family ranch while she continues the work her Native American background got her hooked on. Her biggest story, on an Arapaho and Cheyenne land claim based on the genocidal Sand Creek Massacre, sends her hunting down historical documents and digging into the political battle between the long-entrenched Colorado senator and the new governor. Leaving the ranch, she narrowly escapes death when the killer strikes again. Going on the run, Catherine cuts and dyes her hair and changes hotels, trying to stay ahead of the ruthless assassin while sending in copy on a story that's become front-page news. She fights to discover the truth about the land deal and her unknown ancestors before the assassin kills her. Coel's departure from her Wind River Reservation series (The Girl with the Braided Hair, 2007, etc.) is a fine combination of historical detail, mystery and pulse-pounding terror. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This is a stand-alone suspense story from the author of the popular Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden series (set on an Arapaho Indian reservation). There is still a link to Native Americans: the heroine, Catherine McLeod, an investigative reporter for a Denver newspaper, researches a land claim for 27 million acres of ancestral lands filed by the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes. The novel gets off to a pulse-pounding start with McLeod, out late at night walking her dog, becoming aware that someone is following her this same stalker is linked to McLeod's investigation. Coel skillfully shuttles between McLeod's and the stalker's points of view, enhancing the cat-and-mouse game that drives the action. McLeod must cope with her grief over the stalker's successful attack on her best friend and with her still-raw feelings for her ex-spouse, as she attempts to determine what is behind the attempts to kill her. Gripping.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2008 Booklist
