Boulder author mystery series features the unusual team of Father John O’Malley and Vicky Holden. Father John is a Jesuit priest who has been in charge of the St. Francis Mission on the Wind River Reservation for more than a decade. Vicky is an Arapaho attorney with a close relationship with the priest. They work together unofficially to solve crimes on the Wind River Reservation, or ones involving the Arapaho people.
Part of the appeal of this series is the underlying tension between the two. A hint that the Father and Vicky might have more than friendly feelings for each other enhances the suspense of each adventure.
This current mystery — the 19th in the series — begins in late May with the discovery of Robert Walking Bear’s body near Bull Lake on the reservation. Robert was a man with an obsession — finding the lost loot buried in the mountains by in 1934. Apparently the reports of Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s demise in 1908 in Bolivia were wrong. Robert reportedly was looking for the treasure using a map given to him by his grandfather but no one thinks that the map is real, because all the local gift shops are littered with versions of the map for sale to tourists.
Father John and Vicki arrive at Robert’s home to help his widow, Ruth, during this sad time. Ruth is surrounded by Robert’s many cousins, including new arrival Jimmy Walking Bear, now known as Cutter. He has recently returned to the reservation after leaving with his family when he was 11. The appearance of this handsome warrior flusters the recent widow and newly available Vicky. He seems to be popping up everywhere, from the widow’s home to Vicki’s office, always offering to help.
Special Agent Gianelli and the FBI are tasked with handling major crimes on the reservation. Even though most people think Robert’s death was accidental, Gianelli suggests that without definitive evidence, it could be a suicide. His refusal to release Robert’s body is causing Ruth emotional distress because it is delaying giving Robert a proper Arapaho funeral.
After Vicki and Father John get phone calls from an anonymous caller, presumed to be an Arapaho, the FBI investigation goes into overdrive. The caller claims to have witnessed Robert’s murder. Complicating matters and causing major traffic jams on the reservation is a film crew working in a documentary about Cassidy. All this action is causing stories of the old days to surface. People who knew Cassidy now want to be included in the film. This extra attention by the various interested parties brings focus on the missing map and treasure. The hunt is on.
Coel effortlessly shapes the story by taking readers back to 1899 and giving them the experience of meeting the real life characters of Cassidy and Mary Boyd. Coel skillfully weaves the past and present using her expertise as a historian. Learning about these little-known adventures of Cassidy is an added bonus to the action of the current mystery.
As Father John and Vicky move through the narrative in their quest for answers, Coel surrounds the pair with many robust secondary characters who add color and interest to the story. There is Marie Reynolds, whose grandfather was friends with Cassidy, and Eldon Lone Bear, who met him when he was a small child.
Coel also uses the majestic landscape of the Wind River Reservation to great effect. She includes many cultural events of the Arapaho, such as the powwow and a local fair to add to the ambiance of the reservation.
The book exploits family dynamics that unfortunately can be experienced by all cultures. The all-too-human emotions of greed, jealousy and sense of entitlement among the Walking Bear cousins and Robert’s widow cloud the investigation, sometimes making Vicky’s and Father John’s efforts to help solve the murder more difficult.
This newest Wind River mystery takes readers on a cultural, historical and suspenseful journey as Vicky and Father John get in over their heads in their attempt to keep the body count on the reservation from rising. The added mystery surrounding the fates of Butch and Sundance is a bonus.
FICTION: MYSTERY
The Man Who Fell From the Sky
by Margaret Coel
