The first in Medawar's (The Ft. Larned Incident, etc.) new contemporary series gets off to a bang with the shooting death of tribal attorney Judah Boiseneau. True enough, the man might have deserved killing, but Red Cliff Reservation police chief David Lameraux refuses to let crime go unpunished. Complicating the job are rumors about fisherman Benny Peliquin and the victim's wife. Ignoring protests, Bayfield County Sheriff Bothwell and Officer Michael Bjorke order a manhunt for Peliquin. Enter Karen "Tracker" Charboneau to head the search. Whereas Tony Hillerman relies on tradition and superstition, Medawar portrays her people through mannerisms and language as different from the West as is their Wisconsin climate. As Tracker follows the trail of her mentor and friend, old wounds between her and Lameraux are reopened. Even before Tracker is called to assist the police, a check on her elderly hermit uncle puts her in danger. Hurrying to scour the woods for the old man, she instead comes upon a logging operation at a time and a place that raises immediate concern. The deeper Tracker and Lameraux dig into the murder, the more certain they are that the logging is somehow connected—and they become even more sure when a second body turns up. Some readers may have trouble figuring out all the nuances of Tracker and Lameraux's relationship, but hopefully things will become clearer in future installments of this promising new series. (June 17)
FYI:Medawar received the 1999 Writer of the Year Award from the Woodcraft Circle of Native Writers. She lives on the Red Cliff Indian Reservation in Wisconsin.
