The Shadow Dancer

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Addition to Series
Review: I really enjoy this series of books set on the Wind River Reservation. When I first started this one, though, I was a little disappointed because it sounded like it was just rehashing all the same plot points from previous books - Father John and Vicky pining for each other, Ben Holden demanding that Vicky return to their marriage, a new assistant for Father John, and his superior's threatening Father John with the closing of the mission.

However, as soon as the stage was set with these events, things irrevocably changed. I found this mystery very intriguing and am anxious to see where the author takes things from here.

Rating:
Summary: absorbing and interesting mystery
Review: It has been four months since lawyer Vicky Holden left her high-powered job in a high profile legal firm to return home to the Wind River Reservation. She finally agrees to face her abusive ex-husband Ben at a local restaurant but they aren't together a few minutes before he loses his temper, makes a scene, and walks out.

A mortified Vicky departs from her public humiliation not long after the incident occurred only to later learn that Ben was murdered. The local FBI agent knows that Vicki had motive and opportunity, but no alibi. The gun is wiped clear of finger points except for a clear one that belongs to Vicki. Unless Vickie can find the real killer, she will be indicted for premeditated murder.

Margaret Coel has written an absorbing and interesting mystery that gives readers a glimpse into the modern day west. The protagonist is a feisty determined woman and her friend catholic priest Father O' Malley is her mirror image. Together this unlikely pair gets in and out of trouble so many times it feels as if they are stars in a Wild West epic.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: absorbing and interesting mystery
Review: It has been four months since lawyer Vicky Holden left her high-powered job in a high profile legal firm to return home to the Wind River Reservation. She finally agrees to face her abusive ex-husband Ben at a local restaurant but they aren't together a few minutes before he loses his temper, makes a scene, and walks out.

A mortified Vicky departs from her public humiliation not long after the incident occurred only to later learn that Ben was murdered. The local FBI agent knows that Vicki had motive and opportunity, but no alibi. The gun is wiped clear of finger points except for a clear one that belongs to Vicki. Unless Vickie can find the real killer, she will be indicted for premeditated murder.

Margaret Coel has written an absorbing and interesting mystery that gives readers a glimpse into the modern day west. The protagonist is a feisty determined woman and her friend catholic priest Father O' Malley is her mirror image. Together this unlikely pair gets in and out of trouble so many times it feels as if they are stars in a Wild West epic.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: I love reading about the Wind River Reservation
Review: Margaret Coel has a rich sense of place and describes the Arapaho/Shoshone reservation so well you can imagine you've been there many times -- and it is for this and her description of reservation life that I read her books so eagerly.

This was a pretty good mystery, involving Jesuit priest/detective John O'Malley and his Arapaho lawyer friend Vicki Holden. Vicki's ex-husband is found shot to death, and since they had just had a very public fight in a restaurant (and they are well known to have had a very difficult marriage), she is the obvious suspect. Even her own children suspect her. She must find the real killer or killers to avoid getting charged (and probably convicted) of this murder. Her only lead is a fight her ex told her about at dinner -- with two Lakota Indians who had been working for him. She must find them and discover what the fight was about, since they are obvious suspects. She believes they are hiding out at a ranch that holds an apocalyptic cult, but the cult is very secretive and locating these two men proves difficult and dangerous. John O'Malley gets involved, trying to keep Vicki from harm. He is also looking for someone -- an Arapaho man who has disappeared. Of course there is a connection between the death of ex-husband Ben Holden and the disappearance of this other man, but that connection is only uncovered late in the story.

My only complaint -- and I think Coel is figuring out this can't continue -- is the pointlessness of Vicki and John pining quietly for each other, knowing that nothing but a friendship can result. The "romance" between the two is an annoyance. I keep wanting to tell VIcki to find someone who is actually available (unlike this priest). This book suggests that Coel may be moving in that direction.

Rating:
Summary: A unique mystery
Review: There are many mystery series out today that feature crime-solvers ranging from cooks to cats. Most are good, light reading with interesting twists and turns.
But if you are interested in a more serious and unique line of mysteries, look to Margaret Coel's Arapahoe series. Set on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Coel's cast of characters include Jesuit priest Father John O'Malley and his friend Vicky Holden, who is an Arapahoe attorney from Denver. These two always manage to stumble upon unusual circumstances that need following up on, including murders, disappearances and mayhem.
Her latest book, "The Shadow Dancer," is the seventh in this group, and this time a charismatic leader of the Ghost Dancers is wreaking havoc on the reservation, with people near and dear to Father John and Vicky turning up missing and dead.
Dean Little Horse, a young Arapahoe with a talent for computers, is missing, and his elderly aunts have summoned Father John for help in finding him. During his inquiries about Dean, Father John discovers a man called Orlando has proclaimed himself the prophet of the Ghost Dancers, a religion promising a new world to come that swept the plains during the 1880's. Orlando is stirring up the residents of the reservation with his new group, known as the Shadow Dancers. Is this group responsible for Dean's disappearance?
Meanwhile, Vicky Holden is having troubles of her own. Her despised ex-husband has been murdered, and Vicky quickly becomes the prime suspect. She turns to Father John to help her find her husband's murderers, and it's during their search that they find evidence that the Shadow Dancers might have had a hand in this crime as well.
Coel is adept at weaving her stories with a flair for suspense that keeps her readers intrigued and enthralled. You can start at the beginning of her series or jump in with the latest, and experience a satisfying read either way. Her research into the subject matter is extensive, and she presents the historical background in her stories in a way that lends much to the tale at hand.
So if you're into mysteries and are looking for a change of pace, give Margaret Coel's Wind River Reservation series a try. You'll find them unique and original.

Rating:
Summary: Multi-layered plot
Review: This is one of the best books in an excellent series. Margaret Coel spins a multi-layered plot which begins when Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden returns to her home at the Wind River Reservation after going to Denver to try to sort out her relationship with the reservation's priest, Father John. Her ex-husband, Ben, talks her into meeting him for lunch but their conversation ends in a bitter argument. When Ben is found dead, Vicky becomes a major suspect. Meanwhile Father John is dealing with the disappearance of a young Indian named Dean Little Horse and an Indian cult whose shadow dancers are twisting some of the early Arapaho religious practices. Added to this, Vicky is working on water rights for the Indians and Father John is battling his superiors who want to close the mission where he is the priest. Mix these elements together and you have an enjoyable reading experience with well-drawn characters and the beautiful Wyoming reservation as a background.

Rating:
Summary: Multi-layered plot
Review: This is one of the best books in an excellent series. Margaret Coel spins a multi-layered plot which begins when Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden returns to her home at the Wind River Reservation after going to Denver to try to sort out her relationship with the reservation's priest, Father John. Her ex-husband, Ben, talks her into meeting him for lunch but their conversation ends in a bitter argument. When Ben is found dead, Vicky becomes a major suspect. Meanwhile Father John is dealing with the disappearance of a young Indian named Dean Little Horse and an Indian cult whose shadow dancers are twisting some of the early Arapaho religious practices. Added to this, Vicky is working on water rights for the Indians and Father John is battling his superiors who want to close the mission where he is the priest. Mix these elements together and you have an enjoyable reading experience with well-drawn characters and the beautiful Wyoming reservation as a background.