Rating: 
Summary: excellent new mystery writer!
Review: I have been a avid reader of mysteries for all of my life. I found Butterfly Lost to be very well written keeping my attention rivted from beginning to end. The plot lines are many requiring the reader to pay careful attention, but they are all thoroughly developed. The attention to detail is superb. Eagerly awaiting the next book from this author!
Rating: 
Summary: A Complex, Troubled Protagonist
Review: Laura possesses real skill with computers, and the descriptions of her hacking are fascinating. Her complex past, along with her search for her husband and daughter, help the reader understand her more bizarre behaviors. I admired the way she was able to rein in her dependence on Ritalin--it was difficult to read about her continual pill-popping and the effects that the meds had on her. I've already finished the next book, and I'm looking forward to more.
Rating:
Summary: A Complex, Troubled Protagonist
Review: Laura possesses real skill with computers, and the descriptions of her hacking are fascinating. Her complex past, along with her search for her husband and daughter, help the reader understand her more bizarre behaviors. I admired the way she was able to rein in her dependence on Ritalin--it was difficult to read about her continual pill-popping and the effects that the meds had on her. I've already finished the next book, and I'm looking forward to more.
Rating:
Summary: The Dawn of a Great Career
Review: One of my proudest moments as a mystery writer came at Tucson's Left Coast Crime mystery convention when I was given the honor of introducing David Cole to the mystery community. He was a member of the author panel I was moderating, and his debut mystery, BUTTERFLY LOST, had just been published. BUTTERFLY LOST features Laura Winslow--a Ritalin-abusing, cyper-hacking, half-Hopi--protagonist. BUTTERFLY LOST is a remarkable book because, at least to this reader, David Cole gets everything right. His work with Native American groups has provided him with the thorough cultural knowledge he presents in his book. Laura's computer expertise is completely convincing. David Cole knows well of what he writes. His plot is fast-paced and complex. He knows the Southwestern turf well. I cannot remember reading a more impressive debut novel. David Cole is an amazing talent.
Rating:
Summary: The Dawn of a Great Career
Review: One of my proudest moments as a mystery writer came at Tucson's Left Coast Crime mystery convention when I was given the honor of introducing David Cole to the mystery community. He was a member of the author panel I was moderating, and his debut mystery, BUTTERFLY LOST, had just been published. BUTTERFLY LOST features Laura Winslow--a Ritalin-abusing, cyper-hacking, half-Hopi--protagonist. BUTTERFLY LOST is a remarkable book because, at least to this reader, David Cole gets everything right. His work with Native American groups has provided him with the thorough cultural knowledge he presents in his book. Laura's computer expertise is completely convincing. David Cole knows well of what he writes. His plot is fast-paced and complex. He knows the Southwestern turf well. I cannot remember reading a more impressive debut novel. David Cole is an amazing talent.
Rating:
Summary: A great page turner from a remarkable new author.
Review: This is a wonderful, often amazingly well written book. Laura Winslow moves through many colorful worlds that I knew nothing about. The plot doesn't just plod relentlessly from A to B (like Hollywood action movies), but has many subplots and very different and unusual characters. I thought I'd read enough books about serial killers, but David Cole writes about missing girls from traditional Hopi villages, and the usual mystery novel concepts of "police" and "crime" just don't result here in perfect solutions. Also, Laura's computer-hacking and bounty-hunting experiences are vivid. I didn't know how much personal information was available on the Internet, and how easily a hacker could get to and use that information. I've never been to a rodeo, but Cole makes bullriding so terrifyingly alive that I got excited at the thought of visiting a rodeo. My husband and I ride Harleys and follow Nascar racing, so rodeo excitement sounds like a natural for us. The best part of the book is Cole's exploration of what it's like to be part Indian and wanting to stay on the reservation after leaving for big-city life. I've always enjoyed Tony Hillerman's Walk in Beauty style, but Cole adds a gritty dimension to the poverty of reservation life. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Reservation Reality and the Butterfly Lost
Review: Through an array of characters and a painted portrait of reservation life in Northern Arizona, "Butterfly Lost" drips with the verisimilitude this reader thirsts for. Take every stereotypical portrayal of both a woman detective and life for the Native Americans of the Southwest and check them at the front cover, because they are not welcome within the pages of "Butterfly Lost." David Cole cuts right to the chase as we follow the introverted Laura Winslow through a week where her life is turned completely upside down.Cole's grasp of Hopi and Navajo culture add to the depth of this mystery. As a reader you are faced with trying to interpret Navajo and Hopi terms, only to realize about half way through the novel you are completely acclimated to the culture he presents. In the majority of literature today, besides the terrific work of one of Cole's inspirations-Sherman Alexie, we find that the Native American is still represented as either the Tonto stereotype or as the predictable drunk. Cole does not let the hundreds of years of cultural bigotry influence his writing. "Butterfly Lost" gives the reader life on the reservation as Cole sees it today. Life is not financially prosperous for the Navajo or Hopi, and the struggle to hold on to tradition while fighting to compete in turn of the century America is a major theme. Laura Winslow is a symbol of the struggle. Laura's goal is to live apart from her Native American past and prosper in the information age, while living on the outskirts of the reservation. The close proximity of Laura's home and work proves to be a subconscious decision to reconnect with her past. When given the opportunity to begin investigating the disappearance of young Hopi girls, there is no question that Laura Winslow will once again become Kauwanyauma. I really feel that Cole may be one of the freshest novelist out in years. The dialogue is quick and true. Cole does not wait for the reader as he fires through the unwinding of this mystery and we are forced to keep up. I recommend "Butterfly Lost" for a fast, but thoughtful read, which will leave the reader wanting more.
|
