Product Description
A new novel from the “master” (Tony Hillerman) of the Wind River mysteries.
Catherine McLeod is an investigative reporter for the Journal, one of Denver’s major newspapers. Her recent coverage of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes filing a claim for twenty-seven million acres of their ancestral lands has made her the target for assassination. Her investigation uncovers a conspiracy involving her ex-husband’s wealthy family and state politicians. And as Catherine unravels the truth, she discovers some startling facts about her own heritage, making her would-be killer all the more desperate to find her…
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 A treat to read ( pafmaster )
I was reluctant to read this because of some negative reviews, then I received it as a gift. What a treat! I enjoyed it, beginning to end, and found the story engrossing. Like many others, I've enjoyed the Wind River series, but I found that I like this new heroine better than Vicky. Catherine is energetic and resourceful, and her process of discovering her birth-family background is engaging. And how often do you encounter an arrogant assassin with bad hair?
If you miss Vicky's humorless neuroses, you can always go back and reread the Wind River series. If you enjoy a protagonist who takes charge of her destiny, read this.
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 An "Oh, Dear" book
I like Margaret Coel's books, but not this one. Oh Dear,I've concluded, she's going in another direction, the wrong one, and dragging her faithful reader with her! When I find myself speed reading to get through obvious descritpions of beautiful sunsets, etc, and plodding through the protagonist's fears moment by moment, sensing that I've been through this before in previous pages, well, I know that this is going to be one headache-producing read. Mary Higgins Clark knows suspense; it's not here! Sorry Margaret.
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 An exciting start to a new series ( editorial43 )
When Tony Hillerman passed away this fall, much discussion ensued about which author would step forward as the heir apparent to his sterling blend of Southwest settings, Native American concerns and suspenseful mystery writing. Margaret Coel, who has earned widespread acclaim (including from Hillerman himself) for her Wind River Reservation series of mystery novels, seems poised to step into those huge shoes, demonstrating her more-than-capable talents in BLOOD MEMORY, an exciting start to a new series.
BLOOD MEMORY starts out with heart-thumping intensity, as recently divorced thirty-something investigative journalist Catherine McLeod takes her dog on a midnight walk. Convinced that someone is following her, Catherine dodges back into her townhouse and calls the only person she can trust --- her divorce lawyer, Maury, who has become her good friend. When Maury shows up, tragedy ensues and leaves Catherine suspicious that this attack was far more than that of a random stranger.
Catherine's editor at the Denver Journal also suspects that Catherine is a target --- probably for one of the journalistic exposés she's so good at writing. When Catherine looks back over her recent articles, one strikes out --- an exploration of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes' latest attempts to gain back land that was brutally robbed from them in the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Catherine, part Arapaho herself, has been drawn in by this story since the beginning, but she soon discovers that neither the land deal nor the massacre is as straightforward as it first appears. Ties to Denver's most established families (including her prominent ex-husband) and to Washington's political elite abound. But are they enough for someone to want her dead?
Margaret Coel gets into the mind of the killer for hire in this suspenseful novel, with scenes alternating between his plots to find and kill Catherine and Catherine's equally clever ploys to escape. The journalistic aspect of the story is also fascinating, as Catherine's attempts to regain normalcy and get to the bottom of the mystery by researching and writing her news stories might also be what kills her, as the potential assassin uses her published stories to see what she knows and to guess what leads she might follow next. It's a race to the unexpected finish in this cat-and-mouse game, in which the mouse has just as many tricks up her sleeve as the cat does.
Coel's Wind River Reservation mysteries have gained her critical praise and a popular following. BLOOD MEMORY, with its gutsy, smart but vulnerable heroine and its unique take on tribal politics, journalism and Western history, seems destined to make Coel more popular yet. Fans of her earlier novels will be pleased to see a cameo by a familiar character and will be thrilled by the exciting possibility that Coel might someday combine her two series into an even richer blend of Southwestern suspense.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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 Nothing about this book made me like it! ( katrsqr1 )
I have all of Margaret Coel's books and love all of them. This book was not my style at all. I didn't like the heroine at all, she was drab and dreary and even though she was a woman who was capable of taking care of herself (something I usually like), this woman was boring beyond belief.
The story line was okay, something that was predictable and not interesting. Too many books are written with this type of theme and I expected more from Margaret Coel.
I like Margaret Coel and can only hope she will return to what her fans like. However, there are some that may like this and I commend them.
I couldn't even take the time to finish the book it was so drab and boring.
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Indian lore ( gloriafeit )
The Wind River Series featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, set on the Arapaho Reservation, established the author as a writer of sensitivity and compassion for the Indian culture. Now she has written a standalone, with a past tragedy which took place during the mid-19th century known as the Sand Creek Massacre playing a key role in present-day Native American affairs.
Catherine McLeod, an investigative reporter for a Denver newspaper, becomes the target of an assassin after she writes a story about the massacre. Two Indian tribes have proposed to trade with the Federal government their claims to ancestral lands amounting to about one-third of Colorado, including Denver, for merely 500 acres adjacent to the airport on which a Casino/hotel and museum would be built, on the theory that the project would create jobs and income for the tribes. Is there a connection to the Massacre? Or is there some other reason Catherine has become a target? She barely escapes an initial attack, but a good friend is murdered during the attempt. Further attacks confirm that the assassin is after Catherine, and she is the only one who can put the pieces together.
Written with the author's accustomed feeling and fluidity, the novel takes Catherine on a whirlwind experience of terror until the end. The combination of history and contemporary Native American affairs involving how badly they were treated in the past and today's gaming business is an intriguing concept. Massacred in the beginning and taken advantage of today. Well worth reading, the novel is recommended.
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