UNEQUALLY YOKED by Marilyn Meredith

UNEQUALLY YOKED by Marilyn Meredith
Tempe Crabtree Series
Golden Eagle Press - 2001
ISBN: 1891940058 - Paperback
Police / Detective

Reviewed by Elaine Broome, MyShelf.com
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When a child vanishes in the middle of the night, Deputy Tempe Crabtree is eager to be assigned to the case. Once investigators realize that the girl's family has ties to the Yanduchi reservation, she's given a few short days to find the child. In Marilyn Meredith's UNEQUALLY YOKED, Tempe is challenged not only by the disappearance, but by her husband's difficulty understanding both her job and her Yanduchi beliefs.

Three-year-old Vickie Leaphorn has disappeared without a trace from a tent she shares with her homeless brother and sister. Although Tempe has doubts about her family and their past, she can find no clear link to Vickie's disappearance. She's not even sure if the girl is lost or has been abducted. Vickie's frantic mother Jan agrees to a Yanduchi ceremony to contact the spirit world for assistance. Tempe, desperate for any clue that will help her find the child, plans to take part in the ceremony. Her husband, Pastor "Hutch" Hutchinson, is vehemently against her participation and argues long and hard against it. Even as Tempe is struggling to find Vickie, she must deal with Hutch's constant criticism not only of the time she devotes to the case, but also her willingness to work with a Yanduchi shaman.

This is a very strong second book in this series. Although I figured out "whodunit" fairly quickly, it was fun watching Tempe resolve the case. She is a strong, intelligent woman who is deeply committed to her search for justice. It will be interesting to see what happens to Tempe and Hutch's relationship in future books. Their conflicting views on their marriage, their faith, and Tempe's career make for a great subplot. I thoroughly enjoyed Marilyn Meredith's UNEQUALLY YOKED.