Gambling, Greed and Murder

When a new casino opens on the Wind River Reservation, Vicky Holden is invited to join the legal team there by Adam Lone Eagle. With her own law practice floundering, she agrees, but she soon gets an inkling that there are things going on there that aren't right. However, she hits a dead end with every question she asks and is refused information on the hiring practices and personnel . . . and told to stick to reviewing contracts. Meanwhile a teenage girl on the reservation witnesses a brutal murder while out with her boyfriend . . . and she’s on the run, afraid for her life. Father John O’Malley is busy at the mission with his parishioners, conducting mass and having Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and now Gamblers Anonymous meetings, as well. The poorest of the poor of the Arapaho are lured into believing they can win big in the casino, making an already difficult life worse. Dissention is growing regarding the casino, as some see it as bringing jobs and others see it as a curse. This is one of the best in the series, bringing to light the stresses of daily life on the reservation, rampant alcoholism and abuse of the women, many times ignored by the authorities, and exacerbated by the lack of jobs and low income of the people. Early sexual activity of teens, the bravado of the males, and the lack of choices for the future of the young people are sad realities. Vicky Holden (an exception to that rule) had to leave her own children with her mother to pursue her own education and escape the brutality of her husband’s alcoholism and beatings. And she’s the perfect advocate for her people now, as she investigates the illegal activity at the casino. The closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she puts herself in. And at the same time, Father O’Malley is trying to help the teenager who is running . . . When the two stories converge (as they always do), it makes for a hair-raising tale, that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end . . . Excellent story and superb conclusion!

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