A Small Target

Filled with wilderness awareness, Native American cultural advocacy and bad guys who tote historical baggage as well as the usual camping gear, Andreae's (Grizzly) latest Lee Squires story follows a meandering plot. When real estate developer Charlie Herron and his young son join a small group tour into Montana's reservation wilderness, a member of the tribal council sends Roland Redhawk to keep an eye on the elder Herron. Roland exceeds his brief, shooting and killing Charlie in--he says--self-defense. Before police arrive on the scene, a young, scruffy woman enters the camp, ascertains Roland's identity and kills him with two arrows, expertly shot, before she flees into the woods. Lee, who served as camp cook during the fatal outing and witnessed the second murder, picks up some local gossip on the victims while she's down in town and even gets a ringside seat for the investigation when she's asked to serve as cook and guide for a party of police technicians headed by Luke Donner, a cop who is Lee's occasional lover. But ringside could be a bit too close if, as it seems, Roland's murderer is desperate, armed and nearby. Lee manages to piece together the puzzle that links recent deaths with earlier events, but she's not as successful with her personal life. Some suspenseful moments and well-drawn, complex relationships provide the high points of this middling effort. (Oct.)