Hyenas

Hyaenas is a unique, original and fascinating mystery set in 35,000 BC amidst a tribe of Neanderthals who called themselves the "Real People". When a girl of the tribe is found standing over the body of a decapitated man with a bloodied skinning blade in one hand and a flint bone-chopping adze in the other, Gar (a shaman of the clan) is coerced into finding the person wh took the fellow's head. The spiritual health and very survival of his clan depend upon his skill and luck in uncovering the perpetrator. Once the dominant species, the clan has dwindled into a mere remnant struggling to survive in a should that increasingly favors a water folk called the "Hairies". Those were recent interlopers with a penchant for travel, strangers with beards and long hair, who didn't mind getting wet. Sandy Dengler (with a personal background in paleontology) has created a world of Pleistocene France during the Wurm glaciation, with its oddly different animals and uncertain climate. Her attention to historical and cultural background detail is meticulous and based upon the latest information available on Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon ways. Hyaenas is both a terrific murder mystery and a work of unique, flawless written exploration of prehistoric antiquity.

In 37,000 BC France, Gar the Neanderthal Shaman worries about how the Real People will survive the influx of this new race of hairy invaders. Gar places his concern for the future on hold when he comes upon the decapitated corpse of one of his people. Hovering nearby is a Neanderthal female and her half-breed son. In the general area of where the deceased lies also stands one of the others, a female Cro Magnon. Gar quickly realizes that the two females know each other and deeply loathe one another. Though he prefers to ignore the brutal death, for the survival of his clan, he must to learn who killed a member of the Real people and why. Gar also decides to find out what has caused these two individuals to hate each other so much. Fifty millenniums of tribal history may not be enough to guide Gar into the virgin area of sleuthing. As far as this reviewer knows, Sandy Dengler has pioneered a new sub-branch of the historical mystery with her prehistoric who-done-it. The adventurous story line is highlighted by an anthropological look into two divergent societies striving for world mastery. Though much is unknown and speculative, Ms. Dengler makes both cultures seem genuine as if recorded history guided her hand. Though the emphasis on food gathering becomes a bit much, the novel remains a superb mystery. For anyone who wants something a bit different with their mysteries, HYAENAS is the answer, hopefully with future novels starring Gar and company.Harriet Klausner