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Overview
Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley find themselves on opposite sides of an investigation.
When Arapaho Ned Windsong is shot to death, his fiancée Marcy is the only witness. Even though she identifies two Arapaho troublemakers, Ned's family clings to the belief that Marcy herself was responsible. Convinced of Marcy's innocence, Vicki agrees to represent the outsider- and finds herself at odds with her own people.
She also finds herself at odds with Father John, because the mission priest has glimpsed something in the beautiful girl that shakes him to his core. And when the men Marcy has accused of murdering her fiancé are found dead in an abandoned barn, Vicky and Father John realize they are caught in a web of lies and deceit woven by a master.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
The romantic tension between Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Fr. John O'Malley remains strong but muted in Coel's solid 15th Wind River mystery (after 2009's The Silent Spirit). The murder of Ned Windsong, a troubled young man trying to get his life straight, leaves a trail of confusion and suspicion surrounding his jilted girlfriend, Roseanne Birdwoman; his white fiancée, Marcy Morrison; and thuggish friends Lionel Lookingglass and Dwayne Hawk on the Wind River (Wyoming) reservation. Father John provides refuge for Marcy and finds a hiding place for Roseanne, but he also has doubts about Marcy that anger Vicky, who thinks Marcy is targeted simply because she's an outsider. Meanwhile, Marcy's televangelist father hires Vicky to protect his daughter's interests. Coel concentrates on the lives and traditions of the Arapaho in a tale that breaks no new ground but should satisfy series fans. (Sept.)Kirkus Reviews
An Arapaho attorney and a parish priest who often work together have different takes on a murder on the rez.
Ned Windsong's been in trouble in the past. But he moved back to the Wind River Reservation determined to straighten out his life. Now two troublemakers from the rez and his former girlfriend Roseanne Birdwoman have found him shot to death in the house he and his white girlfriend Marcy Morrison have been sharing. Marcy's wealthy, estranged evangelist father hires attorney Vicky Holden to protect his daughter's interests. Refusing the FBI offer of a safe house, Marcy continues her stay at the guest house at Father John O'Malley's mission. Despite being beaten and traumatized, she identifies the men who discovered the body as the killers, but it's obvious that she's hiding something. Naturally, the people of the reservation are quick to direct their suspicions at Marcy, the outsider. When Vicky and Father John dig into the past of Ned, Marcy and Roseanne, they find evidence of Marcy's drug use and bad relationships and Ned's links to a burglary ring in Jackson Hole. Although Vicky feels sorry for the neglected daughter, Father John has a bad feeling about her past. All their lives may be in danger until the killer is found.
Far from the best in Coel's Wind River series (The Silent Spirit, 2009, etc.), but still worth reading for its insights into modern reservation life.