Sunday, October 4, 2009

The Widow’s Revenege-James D. Doss

The Widow’s Revenege
James D. Doss
Minotaur, Oct 27 2009, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312364618

In Granite Creek, Colorado, elderly enigmatic Apache widow Loyola Montana calls Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon to complain about a coven of witches practicing their evil and leaving dead animals on her farm. Charlie goes out to her spread to insure the woman is okay though he is concerned more about her mental state as he is used to her rants. He arrives only to find Loyola dead having died in a kitchen fire caused by a fallen kerosene lamp.

Although the evidence is that the senior citizen perished in a horrific accident, Charlie wonders whether those “witches” camped on the Blue Diamond Natural Gas Company adjacent land were involved in making the accident happen by mundane means. Soon after he ponders the lethal incident, Moon, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague and police chief Scott Parris look deeper into Loyola’s death as more violence occurs.

The latest Moon Native American investigation (see Snake Dreams) is a bit more serious than usual as Charlie is in a less than festive mood as he feels some remorse for not taking Loyola’s latest complain seriously even though he recognizes she frequently grumped about nothings. The story line is filled with action, Native American mysticism, and a strong whodunit in which perspective frequently switches lead; a trademark of James D. Doss’ Moon mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

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