C.C. Harrison
Five Star
October 21, 2011 / ISBN 978-1432825065
Mystery/Suspense
Amazon
Reviewed
by Dennis Collins
Keegan Thomas is an award winning journalist who writes about
abducted children whose cases remain open. She is driven by the
panic and sense of despair that only the parent of an abducted child
can feel. Her own daughter has been missing for some time and the
police investigation has turned up nothing substantial. Helping
others to cope is Keegan’s way of dealing with her own grief.
But eventually the crusade leaves her exhausted and she’s
forced to take a break.
She finds an old photograph of her grandfather Lincoln Cole, a
well known doctor who worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and
sets off for the Monument Valley Navajo Reservation to see if she
can find out more about the photograph and the people in it. The
Navajos don’t like talking about their deceased ancestors
and many of them stonewall Keegan when she begins to show the picture
around. Others seem outright alarmed or enraged by the photo leading
Keegan to think there might be some deep dark secret whose memory
is rekindled by the photograph.
Along the way, Keegan encounters an archeologist named Dante,
who seems to want to discourage her from investigating the old picture,
but his motivation has nothing to do with sacred Navajo traditions.
Keegan presses ahead and uncovers uncomfortable information regarding
her grandfather’s role on the reservation. The plot begins
to unfold and expand into the inner workings of the government.
Now she understands the resistance she has encountered runs much
deeper than native tradition.
Author C.C. Harrison does an excellent job of presenting a brilliant
picture of life on the reservation where ancient traditions blend
with modern technology. It’s an area where dirt floored adobe
houses meet the high speed internet. The contrast between the old
and the new make this a believable tale. It moves along without
any lags in the action and has just the right balance of adventure,
mystery, and a little romance. I’ve read a few of C.C. Harrison’s
books and, while they’ve all been quite good, this is the
best one so far.
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