Eye of the Wolf (A Wind River Mystery Book 11)

Three Shoshone Indians are shot to death on the historic battleground of an Arapaho massacre. Chilling phone messages are left that indicate the Arapahoes are taking revenge against their ancestral enemies. The media loves the story. The headlines are screaming "Tribal War!" And fear and unrest are spreading among the Indians.Father John O'Malley from the St. Francis Mission and Arapaho lawyer Vicki Holden are as usual in the thick of the action. Father John found the bodies, and Vicki is defending the chief suspect, a young Arapaho ne'er-do-well.The story is quite gripping with several interesting subplots. Father John is dealing with the active alcoholism of his new assistant while struggling to maintain his own sobriety. Vicki is trying to make a go of new relationship, and it's not easy. A young girl, considered white trash by almost everybody, is faced with hard decisions about her pregnancy. One of the murdered Indians is the baby's father.In the midst of all this Father John and Vicki get involved in life-threatening situations. I enjoy watching these two in action. In this book Father John exercises his fighting skills, and Vicki shows herself to be quick with a gun. The suppressed attraction between the two of them adds a certain tension to a plot already full of tensions.The Wind River mysteries are always entertaining. Eye of the Wolf is particularly good.

The past haunts us all but especially those who suffered and were humiliated. Margaret Coel paints a wonderful picture of how the past walks alongside us, driving us, undermining us; the memory of a massacre and betrayal, the pull of addiction and the constant fight against alcoholism, the scars of a failed marriage. I saw the ending from an early point but enjoyed the story nevertheless; the fear that a community feels when old ghosts are resurrected, old bonds are tested, trusts are undermined. The cold and brutal landscape reflects the mood.

I'm a big fan of this series and have read most of the books. This was one I'd missed. Unfortunately, I don't think it is as good as the others. Everything moved in slow motion. There was the same interplay between Vicki Holden and Father John. Maybe I've read so many that the characters seem frozen in time and aren't moving forward in any way. I'll continue to read new books as they come out because I enjoy the Wind River Mystery series.

If you haven't discovered her yet, treat yourself. You deserve it.

Another story that makes me want to visit Wind River area. Another book I find leads to buying the next. A story involving the Arapaho and the Shoshone tribes and how an ancient massacre leads to a plot in the present. I still wish the Catholic Church could allow a priest to marry. On the other hand it allows for some interesting plotting devices.

I absolutely love Margaret Coel, and I can't get enough of her writing. Listening to her stories in the car is really great. I drive long distances, and they really help. I wish there were some with a male reader, though. I don't care for some of them (Brush). This one is ok though.

The writing is very good. I'm reading this series in order, and the writing and characters keep getting better. I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 because the plot (the person who 'did it' and the murderer's motive) is a little unbelievable. Still, a very enjoyable read. I have started book 12.

Ms. Coel has a knack for taking you into the place - the high plains of Wyoming - and the tension between her two protagonists is well executed. Her ability to weave native american history into a mystery is really rewarding. There are always many layers to her stories and I cannot wait to read the next one in this series.