Stone Butterfly - Paperback

by James D. Doss (Author)

Ute shaman Daisy Perika is no stranger to eerie dreams, but when she has a nightmare, lives could be at stake. Convinced that her visions of a wisp-thin girl with blood dripping from her hands are omens, the old woman calls on her nephew, Charlie Moon. Moon, a part-time tribal investigator and full-time Colorado rancher, is skeptical, but he knows better than to dismiss his quarrelsome aunt too quickly. After all, she has been right before. But what can he do? Although Daisy can see what's left of a dying man's face, she can't get a clear look at the girl's. Without that, Moon doesn't have anything to go on.
 Then he gets a call about a very real murder. Sarah Frank, an Ute-Papago orphan and daughter of Moon's childhood friend, was spotted standing over the battered body with blood on her hands. Moon and FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague cross the border to investigate, but they're too late. Not only has little Sarah vanished with a one-of-a-kind family heirloom, but Moon and McTeague aren't the only ones on her trail.
 Off the reservation and across states lines, James D. Doss's clever mystery finds Moon on the law enforcement side of the investigation and his aunt Daisy decidedly on the other.

Front Jacket

Ute shaman Daisy Perika is no stranger to eerie dreams, but when she has a nightmare, lives could be at stake. Convinced that her visions of a wisp-thin girl with blood dripping from her hands are omens, the old woman calls on her nephew, Charlie Moon. Moon, a part-time tribal investigator and full-time Colorado rancher, is skeptical, but he knows better than to dismiss his quarrelsome aunt too quickly. After all, she has been right before. But what can he do? Although Daisy can see what's left of a dying man's face, she can't get a clear look at the girl's. Without that, Moon doesn't have anything to go on.
Then he gets a call about a very real murder. Sarah Frank, an Ute-Papago orphan and daughter of Moon's childhood friend, was spotted standing over the battered body with blood on her hands. Moon and FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague cross the border to investigate, but they're too late. Not only has little Sarah vanished with a one-of-a-kind family heirloom, but Moon and McTeague aren't the only ones on her trail.
Off the reservation and across states lines, James D. Doss's clever mystery finds Moon on the law enforcement side of the investigation and his aunt Daisy decidedly on the other.

Back Jacket

Praise for James D. Doss
"Highly entertaining...Big money, big gambles, and a surprise ending will keep readers turning the pages."
"---"Publishers Weekly""on""Shadow Man""
"Like Tony Hillerman, Doss likes to toss a little Native American spiritualism and a lot of local color into his mysteries. Fans of the series will be well pleased."
"---Booklist "on" Shadow Man"
"With all the skill and timing of a master magician, Doss unfolds a meticulous plot laced with a delicious sense of humor and set against a vivid southern Colorado."
"---Publishers Weekly "(starred review) on" The Witch's Tongue"
"Doss's ear for Western voices is remarkable, his tone whimsical.... If you don't have time for the seven-hour drive from Denver to Pagosa, try" The Witch's Tongue" for a taste of southern Colorado."
"---Rocky Mountain News "on" The Witch's Tongue"
"A classy bit of storytelling that combines myth, dreams, and plot complications so wily they'll rattle your synapses and tweak your sense of humor. For a good time, read Doss."
"---Kirkus""Reviews "(starred review)""on" The Witch's Tongue"
"Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajo."
"---The ""Denver"" Post"
"Doss has reproduced the land of the southern Colorado Utes with vivid affection."
"---The ""Dallas"" Morning News"

Author Biography

James D. Doss is the author of ten previous Charlie Moon mysteries, two of which were named one of the Best Books of the Year by" Publishers Weekly." Originally from Kentucky, he divides his time between Los Alamos and Taos, New Mexico.