Overview
"Ute Shaman Daisy Perika is no stranger to eerie dreams, but when she has a nightmare, lives could be at stake. Convinced that her visions of a wisp-thin girl with blood dripping from her hands are omens, the old woman calls on her nephew, Charlie Moon. Moon, a part-time tribal investigator and full-time Colorado rancher, is skeptical, but he knows better than to dismiss his quarrelsome aunt too quickly. After all, she has been right before. But what can he do? Although Daisy can see what's left of a dying man's face, she can't get a clear look at the girl's. Without that, Moon doesn't have anything to go on." "Then he gets a call about a very real murder. Sarah Frank, an Ute-Papago orphan and daughter of Moon's childhood friend, was spotted standing over the battered body with blood on her hands. Moon and FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague cross the border to investigate, but they're too late. Not only has little Sarah vanished with a one-of-a-kind family heirloom, but Moon and McTeague aren't the only ones on her trail." Off the reservation and across states lines, James D. Doss's mystery finds Moon on the law-enforcement side of the investigation and his aunt Daisy decidedly on the other.Synopsis
Praise for James D. Doss
"Highly entertaining...Big money, big gambles, and a surprise ending will keep readers turning the pages."
—-Publishers Weekly on Shadow Man
"Like Tony Hillerman, Doss likes to toss a little Native American spiritualism and a lot of local color into his mysteries. Fans of the series will be well pleased."
—-Booklist on Shadow Man
"With all the skill and timing of a master magician, Doss unfolds a meticulous plot laced with a delicious sense of humor and set against a vivid southern Colorado."
—-Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Witch's Tongue
"Doss's ear for Western voices is remarkable, his tone whimsical.... If you don't have time for the seven-hour drive from Denver to Pagosa, try The Witch's Tongue for a taste of southern Colorado."
—-Rocky Mountain News on The Witch's Tongue
"A classy bit of storytelling that combines myth, dreams, and plot complications so wily they'll rattle your synapses and tweak your sense of humor. For a good time, read Doss."
—-Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Witch's Tongue
"Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajo."
—-The Denver Post
"Doss has reproduced the land of the southern Colorado Utes with vivid affection."
—-The Dallas Morning News
Publishers Weekly
In Doss's entertaining 11th Charlie Moon mystery (after 2005's Shadow Man), Sarah Frank, the 14-year-old Ute-Papago daughter of Moon's late friend Provo Frank, finds herself wanted for the murder of her crotchety part-time employer, Ben Silver, in Nevada. Worst yet, Tonapah's sheriff, Ned Popper, witnesses Sarah hovering over Ben's body and hears the dying man gasp out Sarah's name as she beats her retreat. While Sarah runs for shelter in Colorado, tribal investigator Moon, unaware of Sarah's whereabouts, enlists the help of his love interest, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague, to locate the girl and bring her to safety. A clever plot, colorful writing and wisecracking asides will keep readers turning the pages. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In Doss's entertaining 11th Charlie Moon mystery (after 2005's Shadow Man), Sarah Frank, the 14-year-old Ute-Papago daughter of Moon's late friend Provo Frank, finds herself wanted for the murder of her crotchety part-time employer, Ben Silver, in Nevada. Worst yet, Tonapah's sheriff, Ned Popper, witnesses Sarah hovering over Ben's body and hears the dying man gasp out Sarah's name as she beats her retreat. While Sarah runs for shelter in Colorado, tribal investigator Moon, unaware of Sarah's whereabouts, enlists the help of his love interest, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague, to locate the girl and bring her to safety. A clever plot, colorful writing and wisecracking asides will keep readers turning the pages. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.School Library Journal
Adult/High School
She is 14 years old, small, thin, desperately poor, always cold, and always hungry. Her name is Sarah Frank, and she's a Ute-Papago orphan living in Tonapah Flats, UT, "on the lonely side of Big Lizard Ridge." Casually cared for with little love by her older cousin and with much disdain by her cousin's universally despised boyfriend, the teen barely registers any notice in the adult world outside of her dismal household-until she is accused of murder, assault, and theft. Then, despite considerable odds, little Sarah manages to vanish with a one-of-a-kind family heirloom. The richest and most sinister person in that part of Utah wants it, and wants it badly. The law is after the girl, and at least some of "the law" are operating outside of the parameters of their sworn duty. Although Sarah proves surprisingly resourceful, the cards are heavily stacked against her. Also looking for her are Charlie Moon, a part-time tribal investigator and full-time rancher; Moon's girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague; and Moon's aunt, Ute shaman Daisy Perika. The latter's search is conducted more through dreams and visions than by more conventional means. In this 11th mystery in the series, Doss skillfully weaves a story full of suspense, humor, greed, and local color, with a few touches of mysticism. Teens will appreciate the fast pace and mounting tension, and are likely to identify with Sarah's struggles against an adult-dominated world.
—Robert SaundersonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The 11th loopy adventure for Charlie Moon, rancher, Ute tribal investigator and beleaguered nephew. Once again, that irascible Ute crone Aunt Daisy is bedeviled by a nightmare. A young girl whose face she can't see is dripping blood onto a corpse. What does the dream mean? Charlie Moon, Daisy's seven-foot nephew (Shadow Man, 2005, etc.), sidesteps the issue until further dreams reveal the face of half-Ute Sarah Frank, 14, daughter of one of Charlie's dead pals. What has Sarah gotten herself into over in Utah, where she's living mostly destitute with a distant relative? Alas, involvement in the murder of crotchety old Ben Silver, who fought all his life with his half-brother Ray and refused to give up a thingamajig left him by their long-dead mother. Now the thingamajig's missing, Ben's dead and the race is on to find Sarah, last observed swinging a baseball bat over Ben. She's probably headed for sanctuary at Aunt Daisy's place on the Colorado reservation. Will she get there before Sheriff Popper's on-the-take deputies find her? Before Ray's henchmen get to her? Before coyotes accost her in Spirit Canyon? Naturally-maybe supernaturally-Aunt Daisy plans to help her out while giving Charlie a mischievous shove in the romance department. Bidding farewell to FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague, Doss ushers in the era of Sarah and the last days of Charlie's bachelorhood. Droll, crafty, upper-echelon reading.From the Publisher
Praise for James D. Doss"Highly entertaining...Big money, big gambles, and a surprise ending will keep readers turning the pages."—-Publishers Weekly on Shadow Man
"Like Tony Hillerman, Doss likes to toss a little Native American spiritualism and a lot of local color into his mysteries. Fans of the series will be well pleased."—-Booklist on Shadow Man
"With all the skill and timing of a master magician, Doss unfolds a meticulous plot laced with a delicious sense of humor and set against a vivid southern Colorado."—-Publishers Weekly on The Witch's Tongue
"Doss's ear for Western voices is remarkable, his tone whimsical.... If you don't have time for the seven-hour drive from Denver to Pagosa, try The Witch's Tongue for a taste of southern Colorado."—-Rocky Mountain News on The Witch's Tongue
"A classy bit of storytelling that combines myth, dreams, and plot complications so wily they'll rattle your synapses and tweak your sense of humor. For a good time, read Doss."—-Kirkus Reviews on The Witch's Tongue
"Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajo."—-The Denver Post
"Doss has reproduced the land of the southern Colorado Utes with vivid affection."—-The Dallas Morning News