When a young woman linked to a list of missing Fire-Sky tribal members commits suicide, Pueblo Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews is assigned to the case. As the investigation unfolds, she uncovers a threat that strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Fire-Sky Native: victims chosen and murdered because of their genetic makeup.
This story is unique. The background is wonderfully drawn with the setting taking place on an Indian Reservation in New Mexico. Our very unusual heroine, Pueblo Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews, is put forward in a way that draws you into her character and you really like her. Nicky works on the Tsiba’ashi D’yinl Indian Reservation in New Mexico. We are first introduced to her at a village store buying gas and food, with nothing around her for twenty miles in every direction. The location is lonely, desolate, and damaged. While in the store, she hears a plate glass shatter and is brought face to face with an ancient Indian woman who smiles at her and then melts away into the shards of glass.
So that is the setting for a very strange tale indeed. Author Carol Potenza has researched her material well, and her very descriptive language will leave you in no doubt that you are in for a great yarn.
We are shown what life on a reservation is like, there is a myriad of facts and details that I never knew and it amazed me with its history of the Indian people. It is strange to think that they live in this country and yet are so far apart from us.
The storyline is, at times, convoluted, and I found myself having to re-read parts of the book to try and understand. This is not particularly the author’s fault, I just found myself a little lost here and there but in the end, with patience, and the wonderful characters that bring this story to life, I have no hesitation in heartily recommending this book. It is a great read and her painting of the desert mountains and ghosts is splendid. This would make a great Christmas gift for some lucky reader.
Available in bookstores Tuesday, December 4th