The Silent Spirit

In Coel's absorbing if relatively sedate 14th Wind River mystery to feature Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden and Fr. John O'Malley (after 2008's The Girl with Braided Hair ), ex-con Kiki Wallowingbull goes to Los Angeles to learn more about the disappearance of his great-grandfather, Charlie, who like many Native Americans in the 1920s went to Hollywood to perform in western movies. Soon after returning to Wyoming's Wind River Reservation, Kiki's murdered. Father John, just back from a Rome sabbatical, seeks to reassure Kiki's grandfather that Kiki, fresh out of rehab, wasn't killed over drugs. Meanwhile, Vicky gets a desperate call from an Arapaho claiming to have killed someone in self-defense. Vicky avoids Father John and her intense feelings toward him until their separate investigations intersect and they join forces to uncover the truth. Series fans will be satisfied as well as primed for the next opportunity to follow this pair and their uncertain future. Author tour. (Sept.)