Wild Indigo

Jamaica Wild works for the BLM in New Mexico as a resources management agent. When she gets a call saying that the bison have escaped their pen and are heading on to federal land, she heads out, even though she is off duty. She is surprised to find that a member of the Tanoah Pueblo that she knows is standing in the midst of the herd and the gate is open. She calls to him to walk toward her, hoping not to spook the bulls of the herd, but he seems oblivious to her pleas and in short order is gored to death. Almost immediately members of the tribal police show up and chastise her for being on the pueblo during "quiet time" when tribal members are readying themselves for a religious pilgrimage into the mountains. Things get even stranger when the tribe complains to her boss that it was her reckless driving that spooked the herd and got the man killed. Jamaica thinks something fishy is going on but is hampered in her investigation by being suspended and told to stay away from the pueblo. She has become a student of one of the tribal elders and sneaks back in to bring food and pay her respects for the loss of a family member. Strange things begin to happen to Jamaica and she finally enlists the help of a curandera, but she is "marked by the bear" while in a trance, and then her pet wolf is poisoned and on the verge of dying. With the help of a female FBI agent as well as her ranger boyfriend, she heads into the mountains seeking a missing child and an old medicine man who she thinks might hold the key to the mystery of the dead man's strangely altered state before he died. This has a well developed female character, lovingly rendered settings, and the detailed lore of the southwest native tribes to recommend it. If you are a fan of Nevada Barr's "Anna Pigeon" series or Tony Hillerman's books, you will certainly enjoy this, although there is a bit more "magic" to be had--at least in this first installment. I will definitely seek out the 2nd of this series by Sandi Ault, Wild Inferno.