For readers who like native traditions, culture, beliefs, and history:

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth
; Kari James, age 35, lives in Idaho Springs, Colorado, and works as a bartender at the White Horse bar, which she hopes to own one day. She describes herself as an “urban Native American,” likes heavy metal, ripped jeans, Stephen King novels, and an occasional beer. After the death of a friend from an overdose, Kari leaves her previous life filled with sex and drug abuse behind. However, when she receives a bracelet haunted by her missing mother’s spirit, she must face her past.
 Having gained the trust of a local medicine woman and a retired cop, Kari decides to delve deeper into her mother’s disappearance, which was unresolved. When Kari touches the bracelet, she has visions of her mother giving her clues leading to the reason for her disappearance.
 Wurth’s debut novel dynamically intertwines a paranormal thriller with themes of family trauma and domestic abuse. Erika T. Wurth is an urban Native Apache, Chickasaw, and Cherokee descendant.

A Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse; 
In the mining town of Goetia, divinity is the commodity. Once, there was a war between angels and demons, and the angels prevailed. Now the town is divided between the Elect, the winners who rule, and the Fallen, descendants of demons.
 Celeste and Mariel are sisters. When Mariel is held in jail and accused of murdering an archangel, Celeste must take control of the situation to save her sister. Celeste is considered a half-breed, raised as privileged and classy by her father. Mariel stayed with her mother in the slums and is marked as Fallen. Celeste’s search to prove her sister’s innocence takes her deep into Elect politics, uncovering the town’s secrets and dark truths.
 For readers of dark fantasy, weird westerns, and crime noir, this novella has vivid world-building, strong characters, and an intricate plotline. Rebecca Roanhorse features Navajo and Indigenous characters in her stories.

Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman
; Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee return from Tony Hillerman’s Navajo Tribal Police series in the debut novel by the author’s daughter. After her father’s passing in 2008, Anne Hillerman continues the series with a shift of focus on feminine characters and concerns. Officer Bernadette Manuelito witnesses Lt. Leaphorn get shot. With Lt. Leaphorn now fighting for his life, Officer Manuelito and her husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, alongside the Navajo Tribal Police and local FBI, are driven to find the shooter. During the investigation, Manuelito and Chee discover the murder attempt may be linked to a cold case Lt. Leaphorn was revisiting. 
Anne Hillerman writes a police procedural that maintains a devotion to her father’s legacy and to the Navajo and Hopi people depicted. A satisfying read for longtime fans and newcomers to the series.

Mutant Message from Down Under by Marlo Morgan; 
A somewhat controversial account of life among the Aboriginal people of Australia, author Marlo Morgan depicts a fictional account of an American woman’s spiritual journey in the outback of Australia. Morgan initially claimed the book as a work of nonfiction; yet, this story is classified as a work of fiction. The story follows a woman who joins a nomadic Aboriginal tribe on a 1,400-mile walkabout, where she learns to communicate with hand signals and telepathy, and how to thrive using natural healing practices.
 Controversy aside, the book has a huge following, with many readers purchasing it for friends as a gift, and despite its critics, it was once a New York Times bestseller. I found the 50,000-year Aboriginal culture fascinating. Fact or fiction, its message is important: humanity can benefit by returning to a simpler existence in harmony with nature.

By Jim Hersheway

Maintenance Dept., PWPL