DEADLY OMEN by Marilyn Meredith

DEADLY OMEN by Marilyn Meredith
Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series
Golden Eagle Press - 1999
ISBN: 1891940031 / Paperback
Police / Detective

Reviewed by Elaine Broome, MyShelf.com
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When Bear Creek Deputy Tempe Crabtree is assigned to the Native American Pow Wow for the day, the last thing she expects to find is a murder. Tempe, part Yanduchi Indian herself, is fascinated by the Pow Wow. She's just begun to learn about and appreciate her Yanduchi heritage and is shocked when violence intrudes. When one of the contestants for Pow Wow Princess is murdered, Tempe wants to be involved in solving the crime. Although the detectives quickly decide that troubled Daniel Redwing is their killer, Tempe believes that he is innocent. Using her friendships on the reservation, she unofficially sets out to find the murderer. The first book of the Tempe Crabtree series, DEADLY OMEN is a winning combination of compelling mystery, Native American lore and wonderful characters. The characters are the real strength of the book: they are rich and real people that pull you into their lives. Tempe believes passionately in her job and her search for justice. She's passionate even when her new husband, Pastor "Hutch" Hutchinson and her son Blair complain. Hutch is a warm, compassionate man whose Christian view of the world is sometimes at odds with his wife's. As much as he loves Tempe, Hutch is still a bit uncomfortable with her involvement on the reservation.

I'm really looking forward to future books in this series to see how these characters grow and change. I feel as if they're friends already! I have to say that this book really hooked me - there were just so many things I liked about it! Clever and intelligent plotting, people that you instantly care about, lots of local color - DEADLY OMEN has got it all!