Publisher's Synopsis
"[A] striking debut . . . Scenes of the high, dry, glittering landscape are as clean as sun-bleached bone, and there are thrills galore . . . But Ault is no less artful at depicting the marriage customs, funeral rites, and religious ceremonies that have drawn Jamaica to this tightly knit world and made her lose her heart to its people."-The New York Times Book Review
WILD INDIGO introduced Jamaica Wild-and the beginning of the THRILLING WILD Mystery Series.The high desert of New Mexico becomes the backdrop for this debut novel of ancient rituals, restless spirits, a desperate female Fed, and a crime that could destroy an entire culture . . .
BLM Agent Jamaica Wild witnesses a Tanoah Pueblo man being trampled to death by stampeding buffalo. The tribe declares the incident a suicide, the FBI concurs, and the body is hurried to ceremony before the sun can go down on his spirit.
But Agent Wild suspects foul play. Haunted by the memory of seeing his body bloody with welts and a strange ecstasy in his eyes, she pursues her own investigation, which leads her into a labyrinth of clandestine Pueblo religious rites, peyote cults, and Hispanic and Tiwa witchcraft. But Jamaica has promised the mother of the victim, the beloved matriarch of the Santana family, to find out what really happened to her son. Until Anna Santana took her in long ago, Jamaica was a stray, much like the wary wolf pup she has just rescued.
When the tribal government and the local paper make allegations that Jamaica caused the stampede, she soon finds herself banned from the Pueblo, suspended from her job, and allied with an old, reclusive curandera who induces trances and casts spells.
Ultimately, Jamaica discovers that the answer to the mystery is contained in another secret, perhaps the greatest secret regarding Tanoah Pueblo -- one that threatens its future and its past.
"Read this for outdoor adventure and take a walk on the Wild side."-Rocky Mountain News
"Wow! This novel is why readers like to read! It has everything . . . Read this one, and eagerly anticipate the next."-Tulsa World
"Rich in Indian lore and lovely description . . . this powerful start shows great maturity and portends great things from Ault."-Richmond Times-Dispatch
"[A] smashing debut. BLM Range Rider Jamaica Wild (and her wolf, Mountain) are formidable new players in outdoor mystery fiction, and Ault's intense knowledge of Pueblo culture is [a] bonus."-C. J. Box
"Sandi Ault uses her knowledge of the high, dry West to give us a look at Pueblo Indian culture."-Tony Hillerman
"[A] strong debut . . . Tinged with mysticism, this artfully told story should appeal to fans of Nevada Barr's National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon as well as Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee series and Margaret Coel's Wyoming Wind River Reservation novels."-Publishers Weekly
"Ault blends the traditions and ceremonies from several Pueblo cultures, immersing the reader in Pueblo life and the beauty of northern New Mexico. An enjoyable series debut for fans of Nevada Barr and Tony Hillerman."-Booklist
"Reviewers and readers will draw parallels between Ault's enlightening, well-researched debut, set in northern New Mexico, and the mysteries of Tony Hillerman, Nevada Barr, and Aimee and David Thurlo."-Library Journal
"An auspicious debut . . . Ault has a sure franchise in Wild . . . and the series is purely her own."-Westword
WILD INDIGO won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Author Sandi Ault has also won the WILLA Award for Best Contemporary Fiction, as well as numerous other awards for titles in the WILD Mystery Series
"Ault's portrait of Pueblo life and the conflict of cultures she dramatizes are integral to her rousing debut."-Kirkus
