Native Mystery Fiction

A runaway bride, murder, and arson have Shandra Higheagle sleuthing again. Sorting through the debris of her best friend’s childhood, Shandra believes she must solve the murder before her friend becomes the next victim. Stumbling upon a dead body, Detective Ryan Greer is determined to bring the killer to justice before Shandra becomes too entangled in her friend’s dysfunctional past. He could be too late. Her deceased grandmother has already visited her dreams, putting Shandra in the middle of his investigation and danger.

When Shandra Higheagle’s dog brings her a dead body in a sleigh full of presents, her world is turned upside down. The man is a John Doe, and within twenty-four hours, another body is found. Detective Ryan Greer receives a call that has them both looking over their shoulders. A vengeful brother of a gang member who died in a gang war is out for Ryan’s blood. Shandra’s dreams and Ryan’s fellow officers may not be enough to keep them alive to share Christmas.

Upon learning a cousin is suspected of murder, potter Shandra Higheagle travels to the Colville Reservation to support her family in any way she can, including the insight she receives from her Nez Perce grandmother in dreams. When the tribal police and FBI refuse to look for additional clues or suspects, Shandra becomes even more determined to uncover the truth.

The accident that took her father's life has always haunted Shandra Higheagle. When her dreams become too real, she knows it's time to discover the truth. It doesn't take long to suspect her father had been murdered and that someone is unhappy with her probing. Detective Ryan Greer knows Shandra well enough to insist he be kept informed of her investigation into the decades old death of her father. When signs implicate her mother, he can't withhold the information, even though he realizes it could complicate their relationship.

Strange lights are spotted over the high desert of northern New Mexico. Unmarked helicopters fly to and from Archuleta Mesa on the Apache Reservation. A ranch foreman is found dead. And, after nearly a decade, livestock are being killed and mutilated, again. Deputy Cliff Lansing is running for his first term as sheriff. In the midst of his campaign, the one-time rancher has to deal with divorce, the loss of a friend, and the gaggle of UFO enthusiasts who have descended on San Phillipe County.

In about 1450 AD, an exceedingly prosperous generation of Native Americans, known then as the Anasazi, vanished from their strongholds in the American Southwest--disappeared without so much as a trace. However, the Native Americans of the present day Navajo Nation dispute the theoretical findings of modern day archeologists and anthropologists.

The Spotted Pony Casino’s head of security, Dela Alvaro, receives a late-night call that takes her to a deserted walkway along the river. After confronting a woman babbling about love and bodies being buried, Dela stumbles over a corpse and discovers her knife covered in the victim’s blood.

James "Orlando" Sherwood has resurrected the old Shadow Dance religion, having his followers dance for days at a time for the promise of an Indian paradise. And when lawyer Vicky Holden's estranged husband is found murdered, Father John O'Malley believes that Orlando has more to do with it than he lets on. But to get the proof, Father John and Vicky Holden will have to learn to dance to his music.

Someone has left three dead Shoshones on an historic battlefield, positioned to mimic the bodies of those Arapahos killed in the slaughter. Frankie Montana, attorney Vicky Holden's latest client, is a frequent guest of the reservation's holding cells, and after a recent heated encounter with the three dead men, is the number one suspect in their deaths. But despite his faults, Vicky doesn't believe he is capable of murder.

Something is rotten in the Fort Belknap Reservation. Life has always been tough on this barren stretch just south of the Canadian border, but now the children are dying. While playing his fiddle in a reservation bar, part-time deputy Gabriel Du Pré meets an accordionist who suspects that the children’s health defects and low test scores are connected to the nearby Persephone mine.

For four generations, the Messmers have raised cattle in the rough country of eastern Montana. When the current owners die in a motor home accident, they leave the ranch to their son - an ominous development for everyone in the area, both human and bovine. Larry Messmer left Toussaint in the 1980s, when he got in trouble for bludgeoning a horse to death, and Gabriel Du Pré hoped he would never come back. Larry announces his return by having his ranch hands kill every weak cow on the property.

Spirit Pass tackles an all-too-real issue that gets all-too-little attention - the disappearances of young women on Native American reservations. This concept alone ensures plenty of emotion for the piece and the novel does a good job of showing the full scope of those affected. This is especially poignant when we see old friends Agnes and Bernice, who find themselves possible rivals following Claudia’s murder. That there are so many suspects for this killing is also a nice touch - this keeps us on our toes and guessing until the reveal in the climax.

The subject of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls fails to get the attention it deserves. Facts show that Native American women and girls are twice as likely to be assaulted than any other race, and their third leading cause of death is injury. And out of nearly 6,000 missing and murdered cases, just shy of 200 are in the national law enforcement databases. We need to do something about this epidemic.

Star MedLab occupies what was once a factory in Shelton, Connecticut. Now, the medical facility boasts its ability to cure an assortment of mental illnesses and emotional disorders. To make it truly accessible it offers a payment for each admission! But is it a benevolent sanctuary or a place where coercion and experimentation on the vulnerable takes precedence over wellness?

In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge”, Poirot and Hastings are enlisted by a Mr. Roger Havering to help investigate the murder of his aristocrat uncle at his hunting lodge. Hastings discusses the murder with the housekeeper on the scene, but Poirot quickly deduces that her story doesn’t add up.

In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim”, to win a bet with Inspector Japp, Poirot solves the mysterious robbery and disappearance of a banker from his home, all without leaving his seat. Is the culprit the businessman Mr. Davenheim was supposed to meet? Or is the situation more complicated?

In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman”, Poirot and Hastings investigate the suspicious death of Count Foscatini in his apartment in Regent’s Court. Found dead at the dinner table, with three empty dinner plates, the suspicion is immediately placed on his two dinner guests. But is there more to the story?

In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Million Dollar Bond Robbery”, Poirot must prove the innocence of a young bank manager who has had a million dollars in bonds stolen from him while on a boat voyage to New York. Could it be one of his superiors? And why were the bonds being sold in New York before his ship arrived?

This is the third volume of the Ray Corngrower Series. While John Littlefeather tries to survive the harsh Alaskan tundra, he finds that it is not just the animals and climate are savage. In Oklahoma, both Ray and Ted find that one crime can easily lead into something much worse. Kick back in your chair and relax. Take off your shoes and get comfortable. There are stories I would tell.

According to both Cherokee and Creek legend U tuin ta', also known as Spear Finger, was a blood-sucking liver-eating monster killed ages ago. However, a series of strange murders in the area of Bristow, Oklahoma indicate she has returned. Deputy Ray Corngrower and John Littlefeather are joined by many in hopes of stopping this terror once and for all.