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KINDRED SPIRITS
by Marilyn Meredith
Mundania, August 2008
209 pages
$12.95
ISBN: 1594267359


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Tempe Crabtree is the resident deputy of a large but sparsely populated area surrounding Bear Creek, a small town in the southern Sierra Mountains. Forest fires are a terrible threat in the mountains, and when Tempe smells smoke in the air, she knows there‛s trouble ahead. Instructed to evacuate everyone from Bear Creek canyon, she drives as far into the hills as she can go before being stopped by firefighters. One house lies ahead, its owner a reclusive artist little seen in Bear Creek. Tempe can‛t reach the woman, but is hopeful she left her studio when she saw the fire approaching.

Returning to Bear Creek, Tempe visits the community church, of which her husband, Hutch, is pastor. Evacuees from the canyon are gathering in the church, but there‛s no sign of the artist, Vanessa Ainsworth. It‛s only after the fire‛s been halted that Vanessa is found. Her studio has burned to the ground, she and her dog with it.

Sheriff‛s Detectives Morrison and Richards arrive on the scene only minutes before Tempe. The Dennison police officers have little respect for Tempe and treat her like a second class citizen because she is part Native American. Tempe only becomes useful to them after County Crime Scene Investigator Dr Andrea Crandall announces that Vanessa was murdered before the fire hit her studio. Like Tempe, Vanessa had Native American blood running through her veins. Believing Tempe shares some kind of bond with all Indians regardless of their tribes, the detectives persuade the sheriff to send Tempe to Crescent City to interview the dead woman‛s cousin.

Abigail Jacoby is a member of the Tolowas, a tribe no longer recognized by the U.S. government. An activist for Indian rights, Abigail is considered a troublemaker by the local police. Despite her reputation for toughness, she welcomes Tempe and tells her what she knows of Vanessa‛s ex-husband Acton Ainsworth, her most recent boyfriend Eric Figueroa, and a former boyfriend-turned-stalker named Lanny Hatgrove. Tempe thinks she has little of value to report when she returns to Bear Creek, but then someone threatens her life. Obviously she‛s learned enough to become a danger to someone.

This is the seventh title in Meredith‛s well-received Tempe Crabtree series. As in all of her books, Meredith explores Native American culture, in this case, the history of the Tolowa tribe. She addresses the difficulty Tempe faces while trying to be true to both her Native American side and her white heritage. As the wife of a Christian minister, Tempe must also deal with her husband‛s own views on Indian culture and spirituality. Hutch and Tempe don‛t always agree on these matters. But in this novel, Hutch becomes more supportive of Tempe‛s work while shedding some of his opposition to Tempe‛s views on life. The two make an unusual couple, but their very uniqueness lends reality to the mystery. As people, they can‛t be pigeonholed into one group or another and thus bring a feeling of freshness to the protagonist‛s role. Any story featuring these two is a welcome addition to the mystery fan‛s library.

Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, November 2008

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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