Navajo Courage

Albuquerque Police Detective Valerie Jonas knows she needs special help with her current serial killer investigation in which the culprit apparently uses Navajo magic though Valerie is a doubting Thomasina. Tribal Police detective Luca Nakai comes to the big city to assist Valerie with her inquiry as the son of a medicine man, he understands Navajo magic intimately. Luca once he gets past his initial first sight attraction realizes they are dealing with a deadly skinwalker who has killed two and targeted his next victim. Valerie is even more stunned by her reaction to the tribal cop as she never mixes sex with her work, but considers making an exception as she wants him. They begin to fall in love though they disagree over magic, but each agrees that the culprit whether he is a mage or not needs to be stopped before they examine deeply their feelings. This is a terrific Native American urban romantic police procedural fantasy. The opposites attract story line has been used a lot, but Aimee Thurlo refreshes the plot with a deep understanding of Navajo magic that fits so well in the Albuquerque setting. Fans of the author will not regret popular Ella Clah taking a much deserved breather as Luca and Valerie fill the void quite nicely. Harriet Klausner