Christmas in New Mexico was supposed to be a family reunion. Instead, Ben Pecos finds himself investigating a suspicious death at Taos Pueblo.
Ben's sixteen-year-old son, Zac, has arrived from Alaska for the holidays with an unexpected guest: Alana Bearpaw, a fellow dog musher and aspiring Iditarod competitor. Ben and his wife, Julie, can't help wondering whether Zac is rushing into a romance only two months after losing his mother.
Then Ben gets a call from the Indian Health Service. A respected dancer at Taos Pueblo has died, and the loss has shaken the entire community. Ben is asked to provide grief counseling, so the family changes its Christmas plans and heads north to Taos. While Zac and Alana look forward to snowboarding at Taos Ski Valley and Julie researches New Mexico holiday traditions for her new blog, Ben settles into the work he knows best: helping people cope with grief.
Until he realizes the death may not have been natural.
What Ben was told about the dancer's final days doesn't add up. As he begins asking questions, he discovers that beneath the community's mourning are secrets someone may be desperate to keep hidden. Now Ben must use his understanding of human behavior to uncover the truth before a grieving community has even more reason to mourn.
Set against the magical backdrop of Christmas in Taos, this Ben Pecos mystery combines Southwestern atmosphere, Native American culture, family, suspense, and a murder investigation only Ben Pecos could solve.
Perfect for readers of Tony and Anne Hillerman, Margaret Coel, and Craig Johnson.
Praise for the Ben Pecos series, by Susan Slater and Connie Shelton:
"... Ben Pecos?raised far from New Mexico's Tewa Pueblo?could become as lasting a fictional presence as Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee." ? Chicago Tribune
"A wonderful book with loveable heroes." ?Library Journal
"A gripping novel. We hope it's the first of many."?Tony Hillerman
(on The Pumpkin Seed Massacre)
"Shelton has again done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life." ?Albuquerque Journal
