Summary
“It was the hour of prowling bears, circling nightowls, vengeful spirits, and savage hearts. It was the hour of predators.” Two gruesome murders have shocked and divided the community of Bella Coola, a small, isolated village in a remote river valley on the coast of British Columbia. The evidence points to a teenaged Nuxalk boy, and the simmering tension between whites and tribe members heats up. RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao must sort through misleading clues, cultural conflicts, tangled relationships, sexual scandals, and even rumors of sorcery to find the truth. Marcus is a man whose life has skidded into remorse and misery. His own infidelity has ended his marriage to the woman he still loves, and now he finds himself with only two things to keep his sinking spirits afloat: the need to serve justice and his eternal fascination with solving the puzzle of the crime. This latest puzzle, however, is proving to be a maze of intrigue, and his mettle as well as his principles will be tested.
Rating
5/5
My Review
Wow. First word that popped into my head reading this book. The author does an amazing job of making you feel the isolation of the small town of Bella Coola. The imagery painted with her words makes you imagine you can hear the wind and feel the cold in the tiny mountain town. There’s a predator killing people in the very tight knit community. The racial tension between the white’s and the Nuxalk indians isn’t helping matters either. Add in superstitions of the primitive indian culture, belief in sorcery and the no nonsense “big city” cop sent to solve the crimes, and you have an explosive mystery and thriller combination that will keep you glued to this book for hours. True evil does exist and this story makes you feel it to your bones. 5/5 in my book!
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Abut the author
Lane Stark has had three enduring passions through her life: travel, art, and the written word. She has traveled the world, lived abroad in both Europe and Asia, and experienced many cultures. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in linguistics, has studied eight languages, and recently ended a career as a graphic artist. She has now turned her creative attentions to full-time writing and leisure-time photography. Travel provides a wealth of inspiration for books, and she finds herself weaving tales around the people she meets and the places she explores. She and her husband have indulged their love of the vagabond life by moving into an RV full-time and following the roadways to new adventures. She is currently working on a second novel featuring RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao, A Premature Death.
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