Rating: 
Summary: Butterfly Lost
Review: Butterfly Lost is one of the best and most original mysteries I've read in a long time. I live in southern Arizona during the winter months but I knew little about the Hopi and Navajo reservations other than reading books by Tony Hillerman. But David Cole writes so well about many things. I gained new insight into the tribal land conflicts, resulting from the US government's decision to give Navajo property to Hopis, with families who owned land for generations forced to move away. Laura Winslow is a complex central character, haunted by her past and trying not to repeat it as she tries to regain some sense of her Hopi heritage. I'm impressed that a man can have his main character a believable, compelling woman. Cole has a main plot about missing Hopi girls, but he weaves many fascinating subplots and characters around the main story. Bounty-hunting and theft of sacred Indian artifacts are both talked about in Arizona, but Cole tells the dark sides of these problems. And Cole gets into aspects of computer hacking that are so believable I got new insight into how many people have access to my personal information. I completely enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more about Laura Winslow.
Rating:
Summary: Butterfly is not LOST
Review: Cole expertly takes the reader on a journey seen through the eyes of his main character, Laura Winslow. After reading Butterfly Lost I felt like I had made a new friend through the process. Far from being perfect, Laura exposes her insecurities and dependencies to us while in search for her own identity. As Laura uncovers her past to us we understand her motives for solving the mystery. Laura takes you, the reader, through the everyday world of the Hopi and Navajo and a glimpse into the world of rodeo bull riders. I loved watching her weed through the intricacies of the other characters in order to bring the book to a climactic conclusion.It was a page turner from the get go! It's so refreshing to see a woman deal with her life and not run away from it. I hope David Cole will bring Laura Winslow back in another of his novels.
Rating:
Summary: Butterfly is not LOST
Review: Cole expertly takes the reader on a journey seen through the eyes of his main character, Laura Winslow. After reading Butterfly Lost I felt like I had made a new friend through the process. Far from being perfect, Laura exposes her insecurities and dependencies to us while in search for her own identity. As Laura uncovers her past to us we understand her motives for solving the mystery. Laura takes you, the reader, through the everyday world of the Hopi and Navajo and a glimpse into the world of rodeo bull riders. I loved watching her weed through the intricacies of the other characters in order to bring the book to a climactic conclusion. It was a page turner from the get go! It's so refreshing to see a woman deal with her life and not run away from it. I hope David Cole will bring Laura Winslow back in another of his novels.
Rating:
Summary: Treading the borderlands
Review: David Cole breaks with the mold in this fascinating first mystery. It includes a dark, unromantic, and completely unexpected view of the contemporary American Southwest. Where else could you find a central character who is a half-Hopi, Ritalin abusing, computer hacker, living on the run while battling the demons behind her own anxiety disorder. Laura inhabits social, psychological, and geographic borderlands, where the reader learns to appreciate and ponder the ambiguities of Native/non-Native identity, the ties and terrors of personal commitments, and the seedy backstreet life of the US/Mexican border region. The author manages to evoke complex worlds of sense and character with an economy of verbiage, and had me puzzling over the mystery and its personalities at odd moments during the day until I had finished it. Butterfly Lost is also an unusual mystery in that the pieces never all fit back together -- the bodies are not necessarily found and accounted for, there is unfinished business -- this feels disturbingly like reality, rather than a typical work of fiction. I am looking forward to his next book, while bracing for another wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: Treading the borderlands
Review: David Cole breaks with the mold in this fascinating first mystery. It includes a dark, unromantic, and completely unexpected view of the contemporary American Southwest. Where else could you find a central character who is a half-Hopi, Ritalin abusing, computer hacker, living on the run while battling the demons behind her own anxiety disorder. Laura inhabits social, psychological, and geographic borderlands, where the reader learns to appreciate and ponder the ambiguities of Native/non-Native identity, the ties and terrors of personal commitments, and the seedy backstreet life of the US/Mexican border region. The author manages to evoke complex worlds of sense and character with an economy of verbiage, and had me puzzling over the mystery and its personalities at odd moments during the day until I had finished it. Butterfly Lost is also an unusual mystery in that the pieces never all fit back together -- the bodies are not necessarily found and accounted for, there is unfinished business -- this feels disturbingly like reality, rather than a typical work of fiction. I am looking forward to his next book, while bracing for another wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: Butterfly found...
Review: David Cole has done the nearly impossible with this book, given the insular nature of the Hopi people and their culture. As one who was married and adopted into that culture, I know how difficult it is to enter that world. But Cole has gone one better--he has combined the ancient with the modern, in a mesmerizing tale. Most Hopis wouldn't know what to do with this pill popping, bed hopping heroine--and she knows that herself, a touch which lends poignancy to the proceedings. She's the lost butterfly, trying desperately to find her own path, and solve a deadly, disturbing mystery. Cole kept me guessing, and plunged me into a macabre world with vivid imagery, and fascinating turns of event. You've never seen these characters before--not a cliche in sight. They shocked and intrigued me repeatedly, and soon, I didn't care if I found out whodunit or not--I just wanted to keep "watching" these people! I can't say what Native American readers will think about all this--I learned, as a critic for two newspapers, never to try. But for me, it was some thrill ride!
Rating:
Summary: Butterfly found...
Review: David Cole has done the nearly impossible with this book, given the insular nature of the Hopi people and their culture. As one who was married and adopted into that culture, I know how difficult it is to enter that world. But Cole has gone one better--he has combined the ancient with the modern, in a mesmerizing tale. Most Hopis wouldn't know what to do with this pill popping, bed hopping heroine--and she knows that herself, a touch which lends poignancy to the proceedings. She's the lost butterfly, trying desperately to find her own path, and solve a deadly, disturbing mystery. Cole kept me guessing, and plunged me into a macabre world with vivid imagery, and fascinating turns of event. You've never seen these characters before--not a cliche in sight. They shocked and intrigued me repeatedly, and soon, I didn't care if I found out whodunit or not--I just wanted to keep "watching" these people! I can't say what Native American readers will think about all this--I learned, as a critic for two newspapers, never to try. But for me, it was some thrill ride!
Rating:
Summary: A captivating web of deception and intrigue
Review: David Cole's Butterfly Lost is an interesting, very well-written, novel about how the main character, Laura Winslow, navigates the vagaries of where life on and off the 'Rez' meet. A half-Hopi cyber hacker, Winslow uses a combination of modern computer skills and knowledge of ancient traditions to track the disappearance of a Hopi teenage girl. David Cole's use of rich and authentic detail weaves an intricate web of deception and intrigue that is enhanced with each succeeding chapter. Butterfly Lost captures and holds the attention of the reader through the last page. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery of any stripe. It is an especially good find for those who like novels about the southwest and Native American culture. I look forward to reading David Cole's next book, The Killing Maze.
Rating:
Summary: A captivating web of deception and intrigue
Review: David Cole's Butterfly Lost is an interesting, very well-written, novel about how the main character, Laura Winslow, navigates the vagaries of where life on and off the 'Rez' meet. A half-Hopi cyber hacker, Winslow uses a combination of modern computer skills and knowledge of ancient traditions to track the disappearance of a Hopi teenage girl. David Cole's use of rich and authentic detail weaves an intricate web of deception and intrigue that is enhanced with each succeeding chapter. Butterfly Lost captures and holds the attention of the reader through the last page. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery of any stripe. It is an especially good find for those who like novels about the southwest and Native American culture. I look forward to reading David Cole's next book, The Killing Maze.
Rating:
Summary: Butterfly Lost
Review: David Cole's style is ambitious and unique -- first person from the point of view of a Hopi woman cyber bounty hunter. The plot is high energy, full of twists and hairpin turns, accented with plenty of juicy local flavor -- everything from ancient Hopi beliefs, to life on the Rez, to rodeo. A wonderful read that delights the senses, challenges the intellect, and satisfies at the end!
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