Book Review: Killing Raven

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Killing Raven     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Margaret Coel
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Wind River Reservation Mysteries # 9
Berkley, Sept 2003, $22.95, 384 pp.

The Wind River Reservation is home to Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden but her law practice is not getting her enough clients to stay in business. When Adam Lone Eagle asks her to come work with him at the newly opened Great Plans Casino, she asks the advice of two elders whom she trusts. They tell her that it would be a good idea to have an extra pair of eyes inside the casino to make sure it is being managed properly.

From almost the first day she starts working at the casino, she has a feeling that the head of the commission overseeing job hiring is placing people he knows in positions they are not qualified to handle for a kickback but she has no proof. As she delves into the records to get the evidence she needs, Vicky finds proof that Lodestar Enterprises which is running the Casino is committing even worse crimes, but her snooping almost gets her killed. Her friend Father John O’Malley rushes to the rescue but may prove too late.

KILLING RAVEN is a fascinating who-done-it but it is also a manifesto about all the evils that seem to accompany legalized gambling. The author gets a little too preachy on the subject but it is a sure bet that readers will overlook that small flaw due to the exciting and fast-paced story line. Margaret Coel gives the audience a sense of what it is like living on a reservation and why some people can never leave the land they call home.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner