The Dream Stalker (Wind River Reservation Series #3) » (~)

Margaret Coel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the acclaimed novels featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, as well as several works of nonfiction. Originally an historian by trade, she is considered an expert on the Arapaho Indians.

The Wind River Reservation has agreed to use their land for a nuclear waste storage site. And why wouldn't they, when they've already been promised so much -- millions in revenue, new jobs, and a better way of life. But Vicky Holden knows better. Building this facility isn't about helping the Arapahos. It is about power and greed. And she is ready to do whatever she can to protect the land and her people. But someone involved wants to keep Vicky Holden quiet, and anyone else who stands in the way. After one man is murdered, and two attempts are made on Vicky's life, she knows she's involved in a crime much bigger than she ever imagined. Now Vicky must look to her only true ally: Father John O'Malley. Together they begin a frenzied search through false promises and misguided dreams to find the truth of this harrowing crime - and restore the true spirit and dream of the Arapaho people.

Publishers Weekly

Murder, romance, a nuclear storage facility and Indian lore blend appealingly in this third mystery (after last year's The Ghost Walker) featuring Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley of the St. Francis Mission near the Wind River Reservation of Wyoming. Holden's opposition to building the storage site on the Legeau ranch near the reservation runs counter to the fervent support of most Arapaho, who welcome the job opportunities the construction promises. At first, her position generates threats, which escalate into attempts on her life as she tries to learn more about the proposed site and those who would benefit most: wealthy rancher Alexander Legeau and his wife, Lily; ambitious Lionel Redbull; suave Paul Bryant, president of United Power Company; and others. The double-stranded plot also involves the murder of an old Indian cowboy whose midnight call sends O'Malley to a deserted cabin to hear a confession that's never made involving the cowboy's ties to a 30-year-old killing. Adding spice is the intense attraction, which threatens to boil over at any time, between the Boston-bred, opera loving O'Malley and stubborn, cause-oriented Holden. The nicely drawn Wyoming backdrop, capable plotting and engaging characters all add up to another coup for Coel. (Oct.)