The Drowning Man

July 24, 2006
At the start of bestseller Coel's appealing 12th mystery (after 2005's Eye of the Wolf
), the people of Wyoming's Wind River Reservation are devastated when an ancient petroglyph, the Drowning Man, vanishes from a wall of sacred Red Cliff Canyon. An Indian messenger tells Fr. John O'Malley, the pastor of St. Francis Mission, to inform the Shoshones and Arapahos they must pay a $250,000 ransom for the rock art, which was chiseled off the wall. Father John obliges, but also alerts the FBI. Meanwhile, attorney Vicky Holden decides to represent Travis Birdsong, who's serving time for killing his alleged partner in a glyph theft seven years earlier. Enraged locals, who believe Travis didn't get a fair trial, want Vicky's firm to concentrate on keeping a logging company from desecrating Red Cliff Canyon. Father John's conflicted feelings for Vicky, who's not sure she wants to stay with her partner, Adam Lone Eagle, and the arrival of a retired pedophile priest at the mission help keep the emotional temperature high.

September 1, 2006
Several years ago, a petroglyph (carved rock art so old it has been difficult to date as yet) was stolen from Red Cliff Canyon. Now it is being offered to the Arapaho/Shoshone people for a large sum of money. In prison sits Travis Birdsong who was convicted of stealing the petroglyph and killing his partner in crime. Travis's grandfather wants attorney Vicky Holden to get him out of jail. While Vicky reviews the Birdsong trial, Father John O'Malley works with tribal authorities and the FBI to find the stolen art. Coel, author of 12 Father O'Malley/Vicky Holden mysteries (e.g., "Eye of the Wolf"; " The Dream Stalker"), depicts the cultural and political realities of life on a Wyoming reservation. She is particularly good at portraying the fragile ties of trust that exist between Native Americans and the white community. For readers who like James D. Doss and Tony Hillerman (see below). Coel lives in Boulder, CO.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2006
On a beautiful May Wyoming morning, a stranger contacts Father John O'Malley, head of the Jesuit mission on the Arapaho Wind River Reservation. The Drowning Man, a cherished petroglyph, has been stolen, and the stranger wants to ransom it to the tribe. Meanwhile, attorney Vicki Holden reopens the case of an Arapaho convicted of murdering his friend. O'Malley and Holden discover their cases are linked and join forces. This twelfth Reservation mystery continues to display the satisfying hallmarks of the series: well-drawn characters, beautiful descriptions of Wyoming, an edgy air of suspense, and a difficult mystery. Along with a revealing look at the black market in artifacts, Coel develops subplots concerning Holden's relationship with lover and business-partner attorney Adam Lone Eagle, the complex issue of wilderness development, and the even more complex matter of pedophile priests. One of the best of several mystery series dealing with Native American issues and characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)