Book Report: Killing Raven by Margaret Coel (2003)

I inherited this book from my aunt; I don’t know if she read it, but I do know she bought it from a yard sale for fifty cents. Perhaps she enjoyed it, or perhaps she merely was hoping to sell it for more on eBay after I suckered her into the used book racket. The book’s worth what she paid for it, but not what I gave up to get this book, but that goes without saying.

It’s the second book I’ve read in the last two months dealing with Indian reservations in the southwest (Cyber Way was the first), and it’s the best. It’s a murder mystery set on an Arapaho reservation. A man’s body is found near the local necking spot, and the investigators have to determine whether its related to the new reservation casino. Did one of the aggressive protestors pull the trigger? Or an organized crime figure?

An important aspect to the book is the dynamic between the main characters: a mission priest and the independent Arapaho lawyer with whom he shares a strong attraction upon which neither of them can act. As they go about their investigation through separate paths, the book handles their multiple points of view and their unrequited love very well.

Unlike some of the other series books I’ve read of late, I think I’d like to read more of this author and her series. The locale is exotic enough and the characters are real enough to merit further attention. Even a couple of bucks.

Buy My Books!
Buy John Donnelly's Gold Buy The Courtship of Barbara Holt Buy Coffee House Memories