Rating: 
Summary: very entertaining thought-provoking thriller
Review: Senator Patch Davidson, senior member of the Judiciary Committee, waits for his chauffeur Billy Smoke, a member of the Southern Ute tribe of Southern Colorado, to pick him up. However, someone assaults him hitting the Senator in the head and repeatedly in the knees. When Patch wakes up in the hospital, he realizes that he is a paraplegic and Billy is dead. Tribal Chairman Oscar Sweetwater asks Columbine ranch owner Charlie Moon, a part time investigator for the tribe, to make inquiries into the deadly incident.Charlie concludes that no one had a valid reason to kill Billy and lets the matter drop. Four months later, Oscar asks Charlie to meet him at the Senator's Boxcar Ranch because someone is leaking sensitive material to a foreign country. Patch wants to find out who it is and how it's being done. Charlie figures out that there were two men who attacked the Senator and killed Billy and the leak started with them. As Charlie comes closer to identifying the assault duo, he also realizes that the person committing treason will attack him if he knew how close the sleuth has come to uncovering the truth. James D. Doss' protagonist is not a typical private eye as he is a former policeman content to run his ranch; Charlie Moon does not rely on brute strength to get the job done. In his own way the hero is a genius who outthinks his opponent while keeping a sense of humor. DEAD SOUL is a very entertaining thought-provoking novel that grabs and keeps reader attention. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Doss gets better and better.
Review: The newest James Doss novel is a very satisfying read. Having read all 8 novels this is the best by far. The first novels featured Scott Paris more than they did Charley Moon. The change to featuring Charlie Moon and the interplay with his aunt Daisy has made the novels more interesting. I enjoy the interplay between Aunt Daisy and Charlie as he tries to live the "modern" Ute way and she walks in the "old" Ute way. Although this novel still maintains the interplay between Aunt Daisy and Charlie, there is a definite movement on Charlie's part to being affected by the ghosts of the past. His night dreams seem to show evidence that the blood of a "Shamaan" runs in his veins. Many of the book jackets have stated that Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman does for the Navajo. This is the first time that I truly believe that this is the case. The combination of Native American mysticism and modern day Ute civilization makes this novel an extremely satisfying read. It is also nice to see Charlie have a bit of romance. I hope the Senator's assistant is a continuing character. I can't wait for the next James Doss novel.
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