When a woman is murdered in Tahlequah's Native American Research Library, Molly Bearpaw, the major crimes investigator for the Cherokee nation, must untangle the suspects and deal with her own family history to solve the case. Tour. Of all the many children of Tony Hillerman--Native American investigators walking in the sizeable moccasin-steps of his Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee--Jean Hager's Molly Bearpaw is certainly one of the most interesting and believable. As major crimes investigator for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Molly has a one-room office in the lovely university town of Tahlequah in the Ozark foothills, a gun that she keeps locked in the glove compartment of her car, and a part-time assistant, a law student named Natalie Wind. It's Natalie's eccentric aunt, Talia Wind, who gets Molly's latest case started, when the former New Age disciple turned Cherokee medicine woman is found murdered in a haunted jailhouse. It wouldn't be a modern mystery if Molly didn't have a rich personal life, and in this one she's troubled by past and present relationships. Other Bearpaw stories in paperback are Ravenmocker , The Redbird's Cry , and Seven Black Stones . Molly Bearpaw, major crimes investigator for the Cherokee nation, is drawn into the murder of her assistant's aunt, killed while trying to put a ghost to rest in the Tahlequah Native American Research Library. The mystery, and murderer, are guessable, and the Cherokee element seems less pronounced than in the three earlier novels. Nevertheless, the characters of Molly and her love, Sheriff Deputy D.J. Kennedy remain appealing. for series fans. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Molly Bearpaw, investigator for the Cherokee nation, is realistic, tough, practical, and down to earth. Good thing, too, because when Talia Wind, a New Age channeler with a penchant for crystals and visions, turns up murdered, Molly can't afford to let any hazy, feel-good philosophy get in her way. Meanwhile, Molly's real dad, who disappeared when Molly was a baby, has just shown up, throwing Molly into complete emotional turmoil. At least she's got rock-solid, sensible D. J. Kennedy, the county sheriff and her longtime lover, to keep her anchored. As Molly tries to deal with her conflicting feelings about her father's reappearance, she struggles with a demanding case that proves every bit as gritty as the New Agers are airy. Hager offers readers a clever, well-written mystery that also provides an intimate and edifying look at Native Americans' beliefs, traditions, and lifestyle. A recommended acquisition for all collections. Emily Melton A fourth adventure for Molly Bearpaw (Seven Black Stones, 1995, etc.), recently appointed Major Crimes Investigator for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, who's soon faced with a puzzle worthy of the hefty title. Talia Wind, whose niece Natalie works in Molly's office, has been found strangled, just outside the old Native American Research Library near Tahlequah. Talia, a self- proclaimed seeress, and husband Dell Greer had arrived in Eagle Rock from California a year ago, guided by Talia's channeler, and had bought land for their trailer from tribal leader Agasuyed Beaver. By year's end, Talia and Dell were divorced, and Talia, with her New Age views, meditation groups, and growing influence on women in the community, had made an enemy of Agasuyed and others as well. Talia's mission at the library, in the dead of night, had been to exorcise the ghosts rumored to inhabit the place. Molly, meantime, must investigate the case with little help from a hostile Sheriff while coping with meeting the father who'd left when she was four, unheard from all those years. Despite it all, Molly finds the murderer, barely escaping with her life in the process. Tidily plotted and mildly entertaining, with special appeal to aficionados of Native American lore. (Regional author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.