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cj_mo_2222's review
4.0
Lander, Wyoming attorney Vicky Holden is asked by Clint Hopkins, an attorney specializing in adoptions, to consult on a complicated case involving a couple living on the Arapaho reservation and wanting to adopt a white child. Clint gives Vicky a file with cryptic notes, but before he can make good on the promised meeting with Vicky to explain the details of the case, he is struck by a car and killed. The authorities think it's an accident, but Vicky thinks it's deliberate and tied to the adoption case. Meanwhile, Jesuit priest Father John O'Malley is helping his niece Shannon make contacts on the Wind River Arapaho reservation to help with her college dissertation about two sisters captured by the Cheyenne's in the 19th century. This long ago event has surprising parallels to recent events and though they have recently put some distance in their friendship, Vicky and Father John end up working together again on the adoption as well as a robbery case.
"Winter’s Child" is part of the long-running Wind River mysteries. I've read only a few of them and have never had a problem following the backstories of the main characters. Those books I have read are always well researched and eloquently written, and "Winter's Child" is no exception. The author excels at combining history, tradition, and modern events. It is amazing how the author is able to connect the life of Lizzie Brokenhorn, who was abducted at age two and came to marry an Arapaho and also think of herself as an Arapaho, to a current case on the Wind River Reservation.
Vicky and Father John are also working on a case involving a missing alcoholic Arapaho wanted for robbery and again it's amazing how the author is able to tie this to the adoption case in an unexpected way. This book has a very bittersweet tone. Both of the cases are heartbreaking and Vicky and Father John's wonderful friendship is filled with anguish as well. The story the author tells is dramatic but without pat, happy endings, which makes it more realistic.
The character of Father John's niece, Shannon, slowly grows on me and her unexpected love story is among the lighter moments of the book. I can see Shannon turning up in a future book, which would be good since I enjoyed the scenes with her and her uncle. This also gives the reader the chance to learn about the Arapaho people and their traditions along with Shannon. The fate of the St. Francis mission where Father John is assigned is uncertain, so it will be interesting to see what happens next in this unique series.
This review was originally written for "Smitten by Books". The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
"Winter’s Child" is part of the long-running Wind River mysteries. I've read only a few of them and have never had a problem following the backstories of the main characters. Those books I have read are always well researched and eloquently written, and "Winter's Child" is no exception. The author excels at combining history, tradition, and modern events. It is amazing how the author is able to connect the life of Lizzie Brokenhorn, who was abducted at age two and came to marry an Arapaho and also think of herself as an Arapaho, to a current case on the Wind River Reservation.
Vicky and Father John are also working on a case involving a missing alcoholic Arapaho wanted for robbery and again it's amazing how the author is able to tie this to the adoption case in an unexpected way. This book has a very bittersweet tone. Both of the cases are heartbreaking and Vicky and Father John's wonderful friendship is filled with anguish as well. The story the author tells is dramatic but without pat, happy endings, which makes it more realistic.
The character of Father John's niece, Shannon, slowly grows on me and her unexpected love story is among the lighter moments of the book. I can see Shannon turning up in a future book, which would be good since I enjoyed the scenes with her and her uncle. This also gives the reader the chance to learn about the Arapaho people and their traditions along with Shannon. The fate of the St. Francis mission where Father John is assigned is uncertain, so it will be interesting to see what happens next in this unique series.
This review was originally written for "Smitten by Books". The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderful summation of all that I love about these books: real people, doing real things, and trying to see the world as a decent place despite all the horrors. There's a lot of death in this one, but also a lot of life and promise of the future, and sadness. More white people than usual too.
What's next for Father John? I hope we find out in the next book.
What's next for Father John? I hope we find out in the next book.
blueberry's review
4.0
What?! This is the last of the Wind River Mystery series. The author left the ending open in many ways for the readers to imagine the ending, she said in the epilogue. I wanted more closure. Though I'm imagining happy ever after for everyone.
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