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Buffalo Bill's Dead Now (Wind River Reservation #16)
by
Margaret Coel (Goodreads Author)
After more than 120 years, the regalia worn by Arapaho Chief Black Heart in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show were supposed to be returned to his people. But the cartons containing the relics were empty when they arrived at the Arapaho museum. Rancher and Indian artifact collector Trevor Pratt had them shipped from Germany and believes thieves must have stolen them en route.Vi...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
September 4th 2012
by Berkley Hardcover
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I love this series, but this book just wasn’t up to Coel’s usual standard – nowhere near it, in fact. There were numerous instances of purple prose, numerous instances of just plain wrong words (that is, words which created an image, for instance of a character’s physical movement, which wasn’t consonant with the way people actually move), and a lack of "spirit." It was as though Coel was going through the writing by rote, rather than caring about the story and the characters. If this were the f...more
#16 in the Wind River series. Father John O'Malley is the pastor of the Jesuit mission on the Arapaho Wind River reservation and Vicky Holden, who grew up on the reservation, is a lawyer in nearby Lander,Wy. There is sexual tension between the pair but as long as Father John remains a priest, he adheres to, and Vicky respects, his vow of celibacy. This entry adds a historical note to the contemporary murder-mystery. 100 Arapho indians, led by Chief Black Heart, were part of the Buffalo Bill Wild...more
Margaret Coel's books about the priest Father John O'Malley and attorney Vicky Holden are always fun to read. The descriptions of the Arapaho people and the Wyoming reservation where they live provide the perfect backdrop for the twists and turns of the mysteries to be solved and the relationships between the characters.
In the past, I haven't been a huge fan of the ongoing sexual and romantic tension between Father John and Vicky, but in this book it didn't bother me as much, mainly because it n...more
In the past, I haven't been a huge fan of the ongoing sexual and romantic tension between Father John and Vicky, but in this book it didn't bother me as much, mainly because it n...more
Margaret Coel is a new mystery writer for me, and I enjoyed her very descriptive language which brought the reader right into the story. This is the most current of her Wind River Mysteries and set in Lander, Wyoming, a place with which I'm familiar. As with many of the other mysteries I enjoy, this one is based on a piece of history, the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show of the 1890's and its Arapaho contingent of almost 100 Indians. The present day setting is a museum at the St. Francis Mission on t...more
A nice mix of past and present. I Have been reading and enjoying the Father John O'Malley series for a number of years now, and I truly enjoy the series. I love the mix of mystery with actual Arapaho folklore that Ms. Coel mixes in with each of her books. Father John and Vicky Holden are two of my most favourite amateur sleuths out there. They are both so well depicted that they seem like real people to me. This book goes back to Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show in the very late 1800's when t...more
Book number Sixteen in the Wind River series by Margaret Coel - 4 stars. A wealthy benefactor, Trevor Pratt, has made a donation to the Arapaho Museum at the Catholic Mission on the Wind River Reservation. That donation is the Regalia (headdress, vest, shirt, and wrist bands) of Chief Black Heart who was part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show when they toured Europe in 1889 and 1990. The regalia went missing along with Black Heart's adopted son on the day they were to board the boat for home - an...more
I hadn't read one of the author's Wind River Mysteries in quite awhile so I felt like I was back among friends as I read this one. Aside from being complex crime stories set in a unique location with interesting characters, these novels also usually focus on a paricular historical or social issue as a subplot. This particular book focuses on the illegal trade in Native American artifacts and Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show tour of Europe in 1889-1890. Others have dealt with the western photog...more
One of the things I've always liked about Margaret Coel's story of Father John and the Wind River Rservation is that although the reader always knows of the depth of his feeling for Vicky Holden, Fr. John stays true to his vows and continues to minister to his people. In this episode, in addition to the mystery of who stole the artifacts from Buffalo Bill's shows in Europe at the turn of the century, on their way to the small museum at the Mission - there is further temptation and pressure -
Am...more
Am...more
The reservation is anxiously awaiting the return of the regalia worn by Arapaho Chief Black Heart in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. It had been lost for 120 years until discovered in an ancient vault in Germany where the Wild West Show had performed. Artifact collector Trevor Pratt is donating the history-rich-regalia to the small Arapahoe museum on the reservation. Sadly, thieves strike while the artifacts are enroute. Both Father John and Vicky Holden sense that Trevor Pratt knows more about t...more
Whilst the mystery was good, I struggled with the 'romantic interest' between Father John and Vicky, I really wasn't sure where the author was going and I certainly didn't want Fr John to be unfaithful to his vows. As the author didn't take it there I actually thought it showed strength of character from Fr John. Vicky I believe didn't really appreciate nor support Fr John's priesthood or she wouldn't have been 'pursuing' him. As Fr John decided 'seeing' Vicky was a temptation and chose to minim...more
This book is very interesting on two fronts. I learned so much about Buffalo Bill and they way he treated our Native Americans. The story takes place on the Wind River Reservation at the mission run by Father John and starts when the regalia from Buffalo Bill's show in Europe is to be returned to the Indian Museum. The box is empty when it gets to the museum. Who took it? There are flash backs to the Wild West Show in Europe and how Buffalo Bill tried to protect them. The history in the story is...more
Attorney Vicky Holden and Father John are brought together again in a case involving the lost, found and then stolen artifacts belonging to Chief Blackheart who rode with Buffalo Bill in his wild west shows and were handed down to him by his ancestor. They were supposed to be donated to the museum on the reservation but were stolen en route. There are several suspects but eventually Father John figures out who and where the items are and heads for a confrontation just before Vicky also sees the...more
This novel, the newest in the widely acclaimed Wind River Mystery series, is a little different from its predecessors. While still featuring Vicki and Father John, the thrust of the book is well in the past: the late 19th century, to be exact, when Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show toured Europe featuring various Indian groups, including Arapahos like Chief Black Heart.
It appears that the regalia worn by the Chief went missing when the tour came to an end, only to be discovered when the building in...more
It appears that the regalia worn by the Chief went missing when the tour came to an end, only to be discovered when the building in...more
This is the 16th book in this series featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden. Father John is the priest at the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming where he counsels and watches over the Arapaho who live there. The tiny Wind River Museum has scored a remarkable coup, a generous donor has bought and will donate all the regalia of Chief Black Heart that was worn in the Old Times and was taken to Europe when Chief Black Heart travelled with Wild Bill's Wild West Show. It was discovered in a va...more
Once again, Margaret Coel has interwoven history into the story. I really love this approach. She has brought to life Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show touring Europe while tying it to the latest mystery on the Wind River Reservation. And the ending! One of the reviewers mentioned Hitchcock and I have to agree that it has that sort of surprise twist. If you are a fan and haven’t read the book, there is also a surprise in the Father John and Vicki relationship. Another great Wind River Mystery.
For the last couple of books in this series, Ms. Coel has included an element of historical fiction--in this case, the Arapaho tribe's involvement in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show--about which I knew very little. It's always nice to learn some history, even if it's just general. The tension between John and is just getting too old, though: We get it. They can't be together. After this many books, he either needs to leave the priesthood or she needs to get married happily to someone else.
This book was structured rather differently than I am used to, but it was very interesting. Part of it takes place as Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show tours Europe, which then ties into the clothing that one of the Arapahoe leaders wore in that show. The whole outfit disappeared during the tour and has recently resurfaced. A collector has offered it as a donation to the new museum at the mission, but when the boxes arrive for the display, all they contain is bubble-wrap. Immediately thereafter, the...more
I have some problems with Ms. Coel's writing, though I love the setting (an Arapaho reservation and the adjoining towns in Wyoming). In this one, artifacts from Buffalo Bill's Wild West show are found, stolen, and sought amidst increasing suspicion and violence. I really wish she'd let the priest/lawyer sexual tension thing drop though. I mean, how many times are we going to have to hear the same mental agonizing by the same characters?
I love Margaret Coel's writing. She and C.J. Box have become 2 of my favorites. Possibly because of the settings. Possibly because of the people and the lives they portray. This was again an excellent read by Margaret. She again brought the Arapaho to life on the pages of this book as well as the struggles of the past and the struggles of the present.
While doing an exceptional job of gaining your caring for the Native American, she wove a story of intrigue and mystery.
Three cheers for Margaret C...more
While doing an exceptional job of gaining your caring for the Native American, she wove a story of intrigue and mystery.
Three cheers for Margaret C...more
Another strong addition to this on-going series set on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The connection between the present situation on the reservation and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show of the past was well done. I enjoy the tension between the main characters; it seems realistic to me. And how they deal with it is always as much a part of the story as the mystery and how that is solved.
Although as in any series it is easy to get a little tired of the same old issues and characters... But this book had enough twists and turns to keep the reader involved and guessing as to "who done it".
The interweaving history of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, as well as the new character development & their problems make it interesting to read.
And.... finally a kiss from you know who.
The interweaving history of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, as well as the new character development & their problems make it interesting to read.
And.... finally a kiss from you know who.
I love the series and find it hard to be critical. I feel as if Vicky and Father John are my friends and can do nothing wrong. I was sorry to see lone eagle back. I really do not care for him. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I find the history of the Arapahoes very interesting and the combining of their beliefs with Catholicism.
I always enjoy this series. The author is respectful of Native American traditions and I usually learn something new. The landscape of Wyoming is drawn well. This time around, she mixed very well an earlier story from the 1800s with the present time. There's always the tension with Vicky and Father John, plus Adam Lone Eagle has returned.
The nice thing about Margaret Coel's Wind River Reservation series is that you can jump in at any point. I have read one other book in this series, and have had no trouble picking up the thread of the characters' lives. So if you want to start with Buffalo Bill's Dead Now, you can. But I am certain you will want to go back and read every book in the series, as I plan to. This novel is a satisfying combination of a little Old West in a New West story.
I read one of these occasionally - I like learning more about the Araphoes, but there is something about her relationship with men that wears on me - in the earlier books she was in an abusive relationship and now she longs for the priest in the book. Get over this behavior!
Very good book in this series. The historical basis for the story is Buffalo Bill's visit to Berlin with Chief Black Hawk of the Arapaho - and other Indian tribe representatives - in the famed Wild West Show and the plot revolves around the recovery of long-lost artifacts from that visit.
Will Vicky and Father John ever get together? Probably not, but you can escape to Wind River Reservation and the world of the Arapaho in this book. As usual, Margaret Coel enchants her readers with the alcoholic priest and the woman alone working together again.
I liked this book more than others I've read by Coel. Unfortunately, I cannot be helpful about why that is. However, this story held my attention and I am proud that she's a Colorado writer. The insights into contemporary Indian life are fascinating.
Nice mystery book which also tells us how the Indian's felt about working in the Wild West Show. This was a way for them to work, earn money, and support their families. According to the book, they were treated the same as all other workers for the show.
I love this series, but this one was something special. Wonderful writing and engaging mystery as you would expect.Much factual information about Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, including bibliography in the author's notes.
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Margaret Coel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the acclaimed novels featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, as well as several works of nonfiction. Originally a historian by trade, she is considered an expert on the Arapaho Indians.
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Oct 10, 2012 05:51pm