cover image Stone Butterfly: A Charlie Moon Mystery

Stone Butterfly: A Charlie Moon Mystery

James D. Doss, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (294pp) ISBN 978-0-312-34054-4

In Doss's entertaining 11th Charlie Moon mystery (after 2005's Shadow Man ), Sarah Frank, the 14-year-old Ute-Papago daughter of Moon's late friend Provo Frank, finds herself wanted for the murder of her crotchety part-time employer, Ben Silver, in Nevada. Worst yet, Tonapah's sheriff, Ned Popper, witnesses Sarah hovering over Ben's body and hears the dying man gasp out Sarah's name as she beats her retreat. While Sarah runs for shelter in Colorado, tribal investigator Moon, unaware of Sarah's whereabouts, enlists the help of his love interest, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague, to locate the girl and bring her to safety. A clever plot, colorful writing and wisecracking asides will keep readers turning the pages. (Sept.)