Purple Palette for Murder

September 1, 2017
A woman suffering from PTSD battles to clear her husband of a murder charge.Meg Harris' quiet life in northern Quebec is rudely interrupted by a phone call from a lawyer informing her that her husband, Eric Odjik, newly elected Grand Chief of the Grand Council of First Nations, has been arrested for the murder of his daughter Teht'aa's boyfriend, who may have beaten Teht'aa so badly that she's close to death in a Yellowknife hospital. Meg's relationship with Eric, who had gone to Yellowknife for a meeting and to see his daughter, has been difficult ever since she suffered injuries she can't talk about in a horrifying incident (A Cold White Fear, 2015). Though she's rarely able even to leave home, she puts her fears aside and flies to Yellowknife, where she finds Uncle Joe Bluegoose, an important influence in Eric's life, at Teht'aa's bedside. She also meets Hans Walther, a pushy mining consultant who claims to be another of Teht'aa's boyfriends. Meg can't see Eric, who's still incarcerated in the remote fly-in community of Digadeh. But when she learns that his lawyer wants him to plead out, she fires him and hires defense counsel Sally McLeod. While she's using Teht'aa's apartment, Meg meets Gloria, a cousin of Teht'aa's with a major drinking problem and many secrets. In fact, some of those secrets and a suede embroidery decorated with sparkly purple flowers may provide the answers to many of Meg's questions. Uncle Joe is staying with his son, who works for a diamond company and has very different ideas about the use of native lands for mining. While Teht'aa slowly recovers and Eric languishes in jail, Meg starts her own investigation, which will lead her and several family members to a remote island far north of civilization. Plenty of well-developed characters and a storyline that raises pointed questions about land use. But the stunning beauty of the Northwest Territory is the real star of the story.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2017

After the traumatic events of A Cold White Fear, Meg Harris has stayed home while her husband, Eric, travels to Yellowknife in the Canadian Northwest Territories to visit his daughter. But she flies to rescue her family when she learns her stepdaughter was beaten and left for dead, and her husband is in jail for killing the man suspected of attacking Teht'aa. The tragedies of the First Nations people are integral to this vivid, intense story set in Canada's northern wilderness. A solid choice for readers of Margaret Coel or C.J. Box.--LH

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
The action-packed eighth installment of Harlick’s Meg Harris series sends Meg, still traumatized by the violence she experienced as a hostage in the last book (A Cold White Death), rushing from her home in the wilds of Quebec to the Northwest Territories. Her husband, Eric, the newly elected grand chief of the Grand Council of First Nations, has been arrested for the murder of his daughter’s boyfriend, Frank. Teht’aa, his daughter, lies in a hospital, nearly beaten to death and in a coma. Although Eric had gone to the Northwest Territories to help his daughter escape Frank’s abuse, Meg doesn’t believe he could have killed anyone and sets out to find out what really happened to prove his innocence. Discovering that Teht’aa’s apartment has been robbed and her laptop stolen is her first clue that this all might have more to do with Teht’aa’s work as a journalist and a diamond mine than a jealous boyfriend, but there are many twists and turns on a trail that eventually takes Meg on a search through the wilderness and into the path of a forest fire. Harlick has situated previous mysteries in different First Nations communities, and this one explores the culture of the Tlicho First Nation, who are part of the Dene people. The story also delves into social issues such as the tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools. Harlick has skillfully constructed a puzzle that draws in readers and keeps them guessing.