FBI area supervisor Simmons asks the Navajo Tribal Police to help locate Andrew Thomas, a federal agent who disappeared after interrupting a Navajo ritual being performed by a group of medicine men or hataaliis . Simmons voices his displeasure when Special Investigator Ella Clah is assigned to the case; he believes that Ella became an FBI agent, more than a decade earlier, due to affirmative action-and that she left because the job was too tough for her. Ella ignores Simmons' pettiness, knowing that finding the missing man is the highest priority. She won't allow family issues to get in the way, so she asks her daughter's father to become a full-time parent for the duration of her investigation. She even questions her brother, a hataalii himself, about Agent Thomas. Could a medicine man have punished Thomas for disturbing the Sing? Startlingly, Ella receives a disturbing cell phone call that seems to be from Thomas himself. He's trapped in a dark place, lost and hurt. Ella realizes that time is running out. With the hataaliis cleared, Ella follows up on Thomas's investigation into Social Security fraud. She is disturbed to see evidence that seems to point to her old friend and Thomas's immediate superior, FBI agent Blalock. Could Blalock steal money and assault one of his own men? Ella can't believe it. The fraud trail leads through a maze of paperwork, banks, government offices, mortuaries, and into the Navajos' most dearly held-beliefs about death. Only by finding the truth-and fast-will Ella be able to save Andrew Thomas. FBI agent Andrew Thomas has gone missing from the vast Navajo reservation in New Mexico. Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah--a former FBI agent herself--is the lead officer on the search. Thomas may have run afoul of some reservation residents when he interrupted a sacred ceremony. Clah understands her culture, and although the participants in the ceremony may have been extremely upset, she doubts they would have kidnapped or killed because of a breach in protocol. As she questions those involved in the ceremony, she uncovers evidence of a scheme to divert Social Security payments from the Navajos. Given the tribe's reluctance to discuss death or any related issues, the reservation would be fertile ground for a scam. This twelfth entry in the Clah series is as thoughtful and intelligently plotted as its predecessors. Ella can handle herself in a violent pinch but prefers to solve crimes through deduction, analysis, and context. Additionally, the Thurlos insert numerous lessons on Navajo culture into each case. An excellent entry in an underappreciated series. Wes Lukowsky Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Mystery readers who like their murders solved by applied intelligence will love Ella Clah." --Tony Hillerman "Gripping. The Thurlo team brings the tensions inherent in Navajo life alive by showing the myriad ways in which the tribe's traditionalists conflict with the progressives. The Thurlos also focus on how modern crime investigation conflicts with the Navajo belief in chindi, or the evil that remains at death scenes and must be avoided. A spirited blend of Navajo culture and police procedure."-- Booklist (starred review) on Tracking Bear " Tracking Bear is a great police procedural that gives readers an insightful look into the culture of the Navajo living on the reservation today. The who-done-it is complex, compelling and exciting."-- Midwest Book Review "Realistic, fast-paced, and intense. Action scenes keep the plot moving at a quick pace with some surprises along the way, adding to the excitement."-- School Library Journal on Changing Woman "A hair-raising opening. The Thurlos hit all the right notes: they have an intriguing, growing character at the center of a series that combines fast-moving plots and a wealth of fascinating cultural information."-- Booklist on Wind Spirit " Red Mesa is an engrossing mystery as intricately woven as a fine Navajo rug. It kept me guessing to the end."-- New York Times bestselling author Margaret Coel "A fascinating story. Ella Clah, strong and vulnerable at the same time, is an intriguing character of great depth, and the surprise ending will delight all mystery lovers." i0-- Romantic Times on Red Mesa "An intense, spellbinding family drama in which the battle between good and evil affects both modernist and traditionalist Navajo. Prime reading for fans of Tony Hillerman and other Southwestern mysteries."-- Library Journal on Red Mesa Aimée and David Thurlo live in Corrales, New Mexico. They are the authors of the Ella Clah novels and of the Lee Nez and Sister Agatha series. David was raised in Shiprock, on the Navajo Reservation; Aimée was born in Cuba. ONE Day one Special Investigator Ella Clah could feel the promise of rain in the cool breeze coming in her open driver’s side window. The wind had a fresh and clean scent, as if it had just passed through a cl