A nineteen-year-old girl named Sunshine disappears one evening from the backcountry commune where she lives. She’s found the next day about a mile away, dead by strangulation. The other residents of the commune, an unusual collection of dropouts from society, are all potential suspects as Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera tries to make sense of an odd collection of clues. In the end, the … the deputy’s own life is endangered as he gets closer to understanding the motive for Sunshine’s murder.
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Nice evocation of the southwest.
Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera, a laid-back investigator works the back country of Moab and thereabouts – thereabouts being an immense spread of rocky terrain and desert interspersed with mountains and canyons. Manny is cursed with having to answer to an ignorant sheriff with a chip on his shoulder, not the least of which is that his boss hates hispanics. A girl from a commune is murdered and the plot spreads from there. Mostly it’s all about why rather than who.
An easy to read, plausible novel, the setting is half the story. Highly recommended.
Excellent blend of detective work and desert Southwest knowledge.I have learned much about the management by the BLM of the poor land given to Native Americans.
I have read several of these books by this author. I have been to this area of the southwest, so it is easy for me to picture the surroundings and therefore, makes the books more realistic. If you want a book that is entertaining and not full of bad language or steamy sex, I highly recommend this book.
A good story, moved nicely, quick read. The characters were decently drawn, as in life, some details were not there. It was easy to envision the the scenes as the story unfolded. The biggest downside to me was that the deputy’s final report hinged on a conclusion that any competent cop would instantly dismiss as absurd, but we are supposed to believe that Rivera got away with it as reasonable. No one will ever look at the evidence, the actions taken or wonder why the killer killed? Uh, I don’t think so.
Slow, but an okay read if you’re out of other reading options.
Any decent Manny Rivera book. Not as many twists as other books and a little too much philosophizing. Also, figured out who the murderer was about 2/3 of the way through.
Had a hard time keeping my interest.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow going but I liked it nonetheless.
This is about a murder involving a member of a commune. She dies gathering seeds and stones for jewelry. A rancher on a nearby ranch also dies. Both are killed by a geologist who wants to keep a major mineral discovery secret.
First in series has promise for future books.
Good book. Easy read. Nice twists and turns and easy transitions. Good read. I couldn’t put it down til I was done.
It started promisingly, but soon bogged down into pages and pages of exposition. I couldn’t get into it and quit reading early on.
looking for more from this author.
This book just did not hold my attention or draw me back to it. Finished 1/3 and deleted it.
Loved reading about this area of the country and reminiscent of communal life during my youth. It took perseverance to solve this crime which most law men would have given up on long ago.
Really good, with great characters!!! Love thus!!
Good
Great read