Publisher's Weekly Review
Coel's 13th Wind River mystery (after 2006's The Drowning Man) is far more engaging than its bland title might suggest. The discovery of skeletal remains still bearing a long dark braid of hair opens deep wounds among the Native Americans who live on Wyoming's Wind River reservation. Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden's efforts to identify the woman, apparently a murder victim, cause tension with her love interest and law partner, Adam Lone Eagle, driving her to enlist the aid of their friend Fr. John O'Malley. A rash of threats and the murder of a woman Vicky questioned confirms her suspicions that members of a 1970s activist group, the American Indian Movement, are still on the rez and somehow involved in all the happenings. Bringing her trademark western flair to nonstop action, Coel keeps danger hanging over Vicky's head as she follows a trail of clues to their startling conclusion. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
On the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, an animal unearths a woman's remains. The victim, it turns out, was murdered in 1973, when Native American activists came to the reservation. A group of reservation women ask attorney Vicki Holden to press the sheriff to find the killer. Immediately, threats are leveled against Vicki and her friend Father John O'Malley. The duo races to find the killer before the killer gets them. In this thirteenth Vicki Holden mystery, Coel continues to combine full-bodied characters, vivid landscapes, and snappy dialogue, and she builds suspense effectively, in terms of both resolving the main plot and answering the question of whether Father O'Malley will be reassigned to Rome. This series, with its expert use of western settings and Native American themes, remains among the best read-alikes for Tony Hillerman fans.--Rowen, John Copyright 2007 Booklist
Kirkus Review
The bones of a woman found on the Wind River Reservation revive the turmoil of the past. Attorney Vicky Holden and her frequent sleuthing partner Father John O'Malley (The Drowning Man, 2006, etc.) can't find justice for the old Arapaho bones until they find out whose they are. Autopsy results reveal that she was beaten and shot in 1973, a time when the militant American Indian Movement's fight for Native-American rights was leading to pitched battles with the FBI. The women of the reservation want a proper burial and condign punishment, but no one's willing to talk, because under the lingering shadow of AIM, tribe members may not be what they seem. Vicky and Father John interview many people before they learn that the body is that of Liz Plenty Horses, a young mother AIM accused of snitching. Vicky and her partner and lover Adam are also handling a present-day case of discrimination when a series of threats warn her to back off. When Vicky witnesses a case of violence against an Indian woman during a trip to Denver, the moment vividly recalls beatings by her abusive husband. Frightened but undaunted, Vicky and Father John risk their lives to solve the murder. Another wonderfully evocative story of the struggles of the Arapaho to retain their heritage while living in a white man's world. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Vicki Holden and Father John O'Malley seek to unravel the death of a woman who supposedly betrayed the militant American Indian Movement in the 12th of the series. Eight-city tour. Coel lives in Boulder, CO. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
