Secret Shadows (Berkley Sensation)

Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: Dane White Eagle is another one of Judie Aitken's to die for Lakota heroes. Dane is an undercover FBI agent working uncover on the rez to find the drug dealers who have been poisoning users. His little sister is murdered and due to the testimoney of Dr. Clair Colby the ER doctor he is sent to prison. While in prison he contiues to try and get information on the dealers and waits for his chance to clear his name. Meanwhile Clair, seeking meaning in her life takes a job on the reservation where she is soon tormented by a strange recurring dream. There are some excellent side lights in the story, the strange dream that both Dane and Clair share, a pack of wild dogs who seem to be stalking the pair and of course the mystery of the drug dealers and the murder. While all this is going on Clair and Dane somehow manage to find time to fall in love. Things aren't pretty on reservations and Ms. Aitken pulls no punches in showing the reality of life for Native American's who live on them.

Rating:
Summary: exhilarating Native American police procedural romance
Review: Dane White Eagle works undercover for the FBI at the Cold Creek Lakota Reservation in South Dakota trying to find the lab where the Big Elk gang makes dangerous Ecstasy to sell to tribe members. Dane takes his dying thirteen year old sister Kylee to a party in Rapid City, but stops at his home. When he returns he finds Kylee shot with his revolver in her good hand. He quickly takes her to the nearby Pennington General ER where Dr. Claire Colby pronounces Kylee dead.

Dane's FBI partners arrange for him to be convicted of his sister's murder. In prison he befriends Big Elk before being released on a technicality. Big Elk's brother Leland adds Dane to the team at the same time Claire joins the Red Star Clinic on the Cold creek reservation. As she and Dane meet outside a medical facility, they fall in love, which places her in danger from the Big Elk gang even as Dane nears achieving his personal objective of finding his sister's killer.

This exhilarating Native American police procedural romance is action packed starring two caring protagonists, especially Dane. His courage is unbelievable not because of risking his life, which he does, but because he knows how much he has hurt his mother yet knows his sacrifice is the right thing. The motive for killing Kylee seems ridiculous even though life is cheap to the culprit. Adding to the fine tale is strong support characters to include the two fed partners, Kylee's dog, Claire's medical friend, Dane's sis, mom and surrogate grandfather, and the comparison between the two gang brothers. Together the cast makes for a strong tale.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Good. ** Grade: B+ **
Review: I enjoyed SECRET SHADOWS. I found Judie Aitken's tale entertaining and creative. The author's writing style is smooth and glides along at a very quick pace. But I think Aitken's strong suit is her ability to move on, this author does not bog down her storyline by overemphasizing. Although, the story is suspenseful, the author avoids reading anxiety and I found this approach very satisfying.

Dane White Eagle is a modern day Sioux warrior. He is Lakota. He is also an enigma; he is not what he appears. Dane White Eagle is an FBI agent who is working undercover, filtering through the narcotic underworld. An agent who hopes to penetrate the flagrant drug ring operating on the Cold Creek Lakota Reservation -- the reservation where his mother and his young sister live.

In the local hospital, Dr. Claire Colby spends every waking moment in the emergency room, dealing with the wounded and the dying. Claire Colby is also moving on with her life; Claire Colby is recently and happily divorced. On a cold December night, Dr. Claire Colby and Dane White Eagle collide.

Judie Aitken further attracts her reader by allowing Lakota culture and words to filter throughout. This is a respectable touch. So why not a higher rating? I waited too long for the romance; I wanted more for Dane and Claire. And in the end, there were too many open questions, I found the tidied up conclusion too evasive. I couldn't believe the actions of White Eagle's mother and I didn't understand why Aitken brought up Claire's abusive husband when that storyline went nowhere!

Still, Judie Aitken delivers a good tale and she has piqued my interest in her work. Grade: B+

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

This review is based on an Advanced Reading Copy.

Rating:
Summary: Romantic Times - TOP PICK
Review: The author is delighted to share this review with you...

The brutal murder of his baby sister, Kylee, puts undercover FBI agent Dane White Eagle in a unique and dangerous position. He is trying to infiltrate the Big Elk gang, which manufactures a deadly form of Ecstasy. The FBI hopes that by pinning Kylee's murder on Dane, he can get into prison, and more importantly, next to Bobby Big Elk. Dr. Claire Colby ends up involved with Dane. It was Claire who treated Kylee's gunshot wound and who testified at Dane's trial. She is shocked when months later, Dane's murder conviction is overturned and he goes home to the reservation where Claire now works. The evidence points to Dane being a scoundrel, but she can't help feeling there is more to him than meets the eye. Both Dane and Claire appear to be experiencing the same strange dream, but what does it mean? Can they figure it out before danger boils over? The culture and beliefs of the Lakota people play a significant and influential role in Aitken's mesmerizing novel. Having to keep so many secrets from those he loves places a great burden on Dane. Choices made and justice sought make this extremely powerful reading. Jill M. Smith - reviewer