The Man Who Fell from the Sky

July 20, 2015
An anonymous Arapaho contacts Fr. John O’Malley and lawyer Vicky Holden, claiming to be a witness to the murder of Robert Walking Bear, in bestseller Coel’s absorbing 19th Wind River mystery set in Wyoming (after 2014’s Night of the White Buffalo). At the time of his death, Robert was seeking a treasure buried by Butch Cassidy in the 1890s, guided by a map supposedly drawn by the outlaw. Suspicion falls on Robert’s cousins Jimmy “Cutter” Walking Bear, Dallas Spotted Deer, and Bernie White Horse, who were also looking for Cassidy’s treasure. Father John and Vicky report their anonymous calls to the FBI, but they do the heavy lifting in the ensuing investigation. The Jesuit priest comforts Robert’s widow, and Vicky talks to those whose family memories include accounts of Cassidy. Coel smoothly blends Cassidy lore with this moving tale of complex family relationships, including those of outsiders Father John and Vicky. Agent: Rick Henshaw, Richard Henshaw Group.

September 15, 2015
Greed motivates murder in this nineteenth Wind River mystery, which centers on treasure rumored to have been hidden by title character Butch Cassidy. Legends still abound on the Arapaho reservation about a map showing where the Robin Hoodlike outlaw hid the loot from a lucrative 1899 train robbery. Robert Walking Bear is one of those who searches for the treasure, and when his body is found in a river, the death is presumed to be accidental. Then both lawyer Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley get phone calls from a man claiming to be in danger because he witnessed Robert's murder. Despite believing the anonymous caller, both Holden and O'Malley ignore their instincts about the perpetrator until it's nearly too late. But this mystery is almost less about the murderer than about the mapwhether it ever existed and, if so, what happened to itas Coel skillfully weaves an old story into a modern narrative. As she adds depth to her protagonists' charactersparticularly Holden, an Arapaho living uneasily in two culturesCoel also brings to life the legendary Cassidy. A compelling addition to this fine series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)