The Widow's Revenge

What a cast of characters. From Charlie, to Scott Parris, to the shaman auntie. Never a dull moment

I look forward to a new Charlie Moon/Aunt Daisy book every year and this one was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

I was wary that Doss was ready to retire after "Snake Dreams", but in "Widow's Revenge", Charlie Moon once again strapped on his trusty side arm and stepped up and did the job that needed to be done. There was a passage in this book involving our hero, a mountain lion, and a banjo that was so classic Charlie Moon that it almost brought a tear to my eye. I'll leave everyone with a warning...Doss still has a bag full of tricks, and he dropped many into this book. It was a pleasure to read!

In Granite Creek, Colorado, elderly enigmatic Apache widow Loyola Montana calls Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon to complain about a coven of witches practicing their evil and leaving dead animals on her farm. Charlie goes out to her spread to insure the woman is okay though he is concerned more about her mental state as he is used to her rants. He arrives only to find Loyola dead having died in a kitchen fire caused by a fallen kerosene lamp. Although the evidence is that the senior citizen perished in a horrific accident, Charlie wonders whether those "witches" camped on the Blue Diamond Natural Gas Company adjacent land were involved in making the accident happen by mundane means. Soon after he ponders the lethal incident, Moon, FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague and police chief Scott Parris look deeper into Loyola's death as more violence occurs. The latest Moon Native American investigation (see Snake Dreams) is a bit more serious than usual as Charlie is in a less than festive mood as he feels some remorse for not taking Loyola's latest complain seriously even though he recognizes she frequently grumped about nothings. The story line is filled with action, Native American mysticism, and a strong whodunit in which perspective frequently switches lead; a trademark of James D. Doss' Moon mysteries. Harriet Klausner

After a couple of stinkers, James D. Doss rewards his persistent fans with THE WIDOW'S REVENGE. Aunt Daisy is back in character and deep in the thick of things with visits from her pitukupf, some murder victims, and the three horses of death, but she defeats them all with a little bad driving to save both Charlie and Sarah from their mistakes when dealing with pure evil. Charlie is oblivious to the intentions of Sarah and hopes to find a new friend to share his life. Several ladies make bids to be the special woman, but he manages to foil their attempts for his domestication. Death is in the air as Scott Parris dreams of his death 100 years before and experiences all the symptoms of a major heart attack, but lives to take out the bad guys and leaves us wondering as to his fate. A good afternoon read of an author who is back in style. Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.