Death Where the Bad Rocks Live
C.M. Wendelboe


ISBN-10:
0425256111
ISBN-13: 978-0425256114
Publisher: Penguin Trade
Line: Berkley Trade
Release Date: Sept 4, 2012
Pages: 384
Retail Price: 15.00




Genre:
Mystery
Rating:

FBI agent Manny Tanno thought he had left his tribe and the Pine Ridge Reservation behind him years ago. But now with a cold case unearthed in the hot plains sun, he knows that the past never really goes away.

In Badlands National Park, there is a desolate area the Lakota refer to as the Stronghold. General Custer called it hell on earth. During World War II, the Army Air Corps used it as a bombing range. At the end of the war, many unexploded ordnances were swallowed up in its sweltering sands. But that’s not all that’s buried there…

Sixty-five years after the war, the Sioux tribe has contracted an ordnance removal company to defuse any remaining ammunition in the Stronghold. When the company finds a human arm near a live bomb, Tanno and the Tribal police are called to investigate. As the body is exhumed, two more are discovered. The remains are close together, but the murders were decades apart—and the story behind them is about to blow up…

Series: A Spirit Road Mystery

Review

General Custer called it “hell on earth”, but the Lakota call it the Stronghold and they consider this desolate area of the Badlands to be the “the Sheltering Place”. FBI Agent Manny Tunno and his friend, Willie, who is an investigator with the Sioux Tribal Police, are called into the area to investigate a dead body found by technicians who were removing unexploded ammunition left from World War II bombing tests. Unbelievably, two more bodies are found and there is soon no doubt that Manny and Willie are dealing with two separate cases of murder. Although the bodies are found close together, the crimes happened decades apart and it’s up to Manny to get justice for these victims and prove to colleagues that he is still a competent investigator.

This is a unique book with well-rounded characters. Even the difficult characters, like Willie’s co-worker Janet and her uncle (as well as her and Willie’s boss), chief “Lumpy”, are three-dimensional and are likeable in spite of their often unlikable behavior. Manny and Willie are each fighting different types of health issues and while they are the “good guys” in the story, they are also believably flawed, with realistic burdens they must face every day. They each want to prove themselves in their jobs while dealing with relationship troubles and problems with their superiors. Manny is a good friend to Willie and wants to see him work out his personal difficulties so he can find happiness and also so he can succeed in his career. Manny wants to see Willie work things out with his girlfriend Doreen, who seems a bit controlling. However, the reader doesn’t get to see the interactions between the characters and has to rely on Manny’s judgment of what would be best for his friend. I would have preferred to see the two of them together instead of hearing about her.

The book includes two points of view and two periods of time. The story of the current murder investigation alternates with a story told from years earlier by Moses Ten Bears, who plays an important part of the present events. The book is a bit slow in some places with a bit too much information about Manny’s lack of a sex life, but overall, I enjoyed the book. Manny had rejected the Lakota traditions, but his experiences during a recent case have given him a new respect for the old ways. I like the theme of mixing old traditions with the modern world. For example, when the murder investigation first begins, there is talk about using DNA profiles to identify the bodies, and then Willie performs a “sending away” ceremony for any spirits still lingering. Later, there is talk of mining rights and balancing the needs of the Lakota people with concerns for sacred lands. The wonderful way the contrast between the two worlds is presented is what makes this book so unique and enjoyable.

Fans of Tony Hillerman or Margaret Coel will enjoy this book, which is the second installment in the Spirit Road series. For readers familiar with novels by Hillerman, the characters of Manny and Willie may remind them of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. However, the Spirit Road mysteries have their own unique voice.

Reviewed by Christine


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