by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of Night of the White Buffalo, along with a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore. In this same issue you can find a review & giveaway of Margaret’s brand new book, The Man Who Fell From the Sky, along with an interview with her.

The Wind Reservation in Wyoming has been hit hard by the economy, just like the rest of the country. Cowboys especially have a hard time finding work, since ranches are smaller, resources scarcer, and money scarcest of all.
Father John hears a lot in confession at the Mission, but this is the first time he’s heard a confession to murder. The man who confessed was anguished that it had to be done but not regretful that he killed a man. Unfortunately, the priest doesn’t recognize the voice and wasn’t fast enough to catch a glimpse of the murderer.

Vicky Holden is a lawyer who represents the Arapaho in court. Arnie is a frequent offender since he likes to drink. This time she’s worried he went too far—farther than a bar fight. The main witness against Arnie has disappeared—and he’s not the kind to leave a fight unfinished.

The Arapaho resent the fact that the Broken Buffalo Ranch is hiring only white cowboys. No one’s better with buffalo than the Arapaho but owner Dennis Carey won’t change his mind. Someone’s been taking potshots at passing cars. No one’s sure of the motive but it might be to scare newly hired cowboys.

When Carey is found dead in his truck, along the highway, it’s first thought that one of the wild shots hit home. Judging by the way his truck was parked, the police decide Dennis knew his murderer and stopped, only to be shot in the forehead. It seems odd that his death would occur just a week after a pure white buffalo was born on his ranch. The Native American tribes consider the rare coloring to be a blessing from the Creator, to remind them He is with them always. People travel from all over the country to see the calf named Spirit.

When it seems like cowboys are disappearing, rather than moving on, even more attention comes to Broken Buffalo Ranch—it’s the last place the men were seen—and the owners deny they hired the men.

This is a tightly woven story with information about buffalo, ranching, Arapaho legends, personal relationships, and how some are finding the path back to the old ways. Even modern-day lawyers and Catholic priests can see the miracle in a white buffalo calf.

This is Book Eighteen in the series—readers won’t miss out on anything by starting the series here, except more excellent storytelling. This is the paperback of last year’s hardcover. The newest book is The Man Who Fell from the Sky, out now in hardcover.

Coel also writes the Catherine McLeod series.

To enter to win a copy of Night of the White Buffalo, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Buffalo,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 26, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

You can use this link to purchase this book where a portion goes to help support KRL & Mysterious Galaxy:

Night of the White Buffalo

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster. Sandy’s latest short story “The Tater Tot Caper” is one of eleven stories in The Killer Wore Cranberry: Fourths of Mayhem. The annual Thanksgiving anthology has eleven stories and this year, includes recipes. And it’s on sale! Available in all e-versions and in print.