Native Mystery

More than a year has passed since shaman John Running Deer and his equally gifted granddaughter, Evelyn Sherman, battled Brigindo and Teutates’ other three siblings in Cherokee, North Carolina. At the time, John and Evelyn prayed this would be it for dealing with violent ancient entities that supersede the normal realm of ghosts and other mischievous spirits. They naively equated the Hobbs family’s return to peaceful lives in Colorado as the end of their own misadventures with the supernatural. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

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.

Gabriel Du Pré’s aunt Pauline has burned through more than her share of husbands, so it’s no surprise when she shows up in Toussaint complaining that the latest one, Badger, has run off. Du Pré, the fiddler and sometimes deputy, agrees to go looking for her man and finds him shot, execution-style, in the wilds of the Montana countryside. A chat with his contacts at the FBI reveals that Badger, a small-time drug smuggler, had been working for them since his last arrest. Pauline’s husband was bait, but the big fish got away.

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.

Nearly 20 years before Jamestown was settled, the English established one of the earliest colonies in North America around the Chesapeake Bay region, until the colony had over 100 inhabitants. Like other early settlements, Roanoke struggled to survive in its infancy, to the extent that the colony's leader, John White, sailed back to England in 1587 in an effort to bring more supplies and help. However, the attempts to bring back supplies were thwarted by the Spanish in the midst of the Anglo-Spanish War going on at the time.

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.

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?

The US Census Bureau defines the Midwest as consisting of a dozen states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Outsiders often deride the region, and for many who have never been there, America's heartland is just a bunch of "flyover states" with little influence, little history, and little interest.

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.

In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Kidnapped Prime Minister”, Poirot investigates the mysterious disappearance of the British prime minister during wartime. Apparently carjacked on the way to a peace conference, Poirot must overcome subterfuge and misdirection to solve the mystery.

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 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?

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 “The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan”, Poirot and Hastings are called on to solve the case of Mrs. Opalsen’s missing set of pearls, apparently stolen during a stay at the Grand Metropolitan Hotel. The two suspects are Mrs. Opalsen’s maid and the hotel chambermaid, but both blame the other. Who is the real thief?