The Spider's Web

Wind River Reservation #15

by Margaret Coel

In this 15th mystery set on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, attorney Vicky Holden goes up against the community and Father John O'Malley when she defends a potentially murderous outsider.

Genres: Mystery, Native American, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Native Americans, Westerns

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2010

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 15th entry in Coel's Wind River Reservation series...A young Arapahoe, a former player on Fr. Johns baseball team and one of the Rez's seemingly successes is found murdered along with his severely injured "white" fiancée...A jilted Native American fiancée and two others of dubious reputation fall under suspicion...as always, Fr. John and Arapahoe attorney Vicky Holden are on the case and discover there is much more in the wind...decent beach read!!!

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual good read from Coel. Young Indian is murdered and Vicki & Father John try to figure out who did it. The two prime suspects are themselves murdered and Vicki & Father John decide someone else is moving behind the scenes. Recommended, however, be warned. The ending doesn't resolve everything.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went through a difficult period whilst reading "The Spider's Web"; I had discovered what a good read The Economist is and was trying hard to balance literature with current affairs. Despite this, and the constant interruptions I created, I found "The Spider's Web" easy to keep up with and, as with all Margaret Coel's books, quite gripping.
A young Arapaho has been found murdered and suspicion falls on two others with a dubious reputation, but also on his white fiance. We see much of the story that follows largely through the eyes of father O'Malley, but also through those of Roseanne Birdwoman, the former girlfriend of the dead Arapaho. This means that the story stays with the unfolding events rather that taking side steps into the "confused" relationship between Vicky Holden, the attorney, and the Jesuit priest.
Coel shows her love for the Arapaho and their culture, struggling to survive in a White-man's world, facing prejudice and suspicion, as always, but there is also a suggestion here that this book was written with screenplays in mind - it flows very smoothly and is almost predictable in its unfolding. I don't want to make that sound too negative - it's still a very entertaining read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read something by this author and thought it was well written and enjoyable.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Coel has written a powerful story set on an Indian reservation and while many of the characters are Native Americans, this is really a story about redemption, betrayal and mental illness, as well as the resilience of the soul.

A young woman jumps into the back of a pick up truck looking for something to take her away from her loneliness and the closing walls of a narrow existence. But she has picked the wrong day and the wrong people to travel with. The two men take her to the home of her former boyfriend, telling her that they will get him to go with them to the party. Instead they flee the scene in the home.

And so starts a mystery with layers and aspects that Father John O'Malley slowly peels away with the help of Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden. It all comes down to what was in the mind and heart of a young man murdered, who were the killer or killers and why. A good story that kept me hooked in my seat -- it may be easy to figure out one of the answers, the others are much, much harder.

[Lizpeveto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading Margaret Coel in 2000 when she did a reading from one of her books. She is consistent in her storylines while using the same characters, Father John O'Malley, the Catholic priest, and Vicki Holden, the attorney. I really enjoy all her books and the history of the Arapaho she weaves into the story. Ned Windsong has returned to the area to straighten out his life by participating in the Sun Dance. Unfortunately for him, he is found murdered. His current white girlfriend, Marcy, is found at the murder scene and witnessed the murder. Ned's old girlfriend, Roseanne Birdwoman, thinks she may be a suspect along w/ the other two Indians who found the body. Everyone is afraid they will be blamed including Marcy. After offering refuge to Marcy and spending time w/ her, Father John determines that Marcy is a little "nuts" and so all theories begin changing. The bad guy does get caught even tho his involvement in the murder is a complication for his family.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Margaret Coel's Wind River Reservation mystery series, all of her novels have a twist and something different--it deals with Native American cultures and customs. That's what makes it unique. In this story, we're into a tangled web of deception and heartbreak. We learn how the Native Americans feels about the white people, even now to this day, and how they live in the reservation to this day. I loved the setting of Wyoming and the Wind River Reservation itself. Very intricate in nature. We're really get caught up into Vicky Holden's life, when she takes on a new client, and learns about her hardened life. We learn about the family and her co-workers, who have their own dramas. I felt shock and awe and assorted sets of emotions, when she's stuck on this case, which has a twisted ending. Good drama, excellent suspense.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicki is a little off on her sleuthing skills in this one. Father Tim keeps the faith. Vicki represents a white girl in this one and is she the villain? Let's just say she is not a saint. I guessed the villain early, but it is a good mystery and you learn a little of the Arapaho way. Also, Father Tim seems to come to grips with his relationship with Vicki with the help of the old bishop.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I have never read any of Coel's books. I will certainly look for more of them now.

The subject matter about the Wind River Indian Reservation and the Arapaho Indians is fascinating.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Coel's best. Fascinating complex characters.

[Carolyn Virginia]

Not the best effort; I had it figured out 2/3 of the way through.  Basic story is solving murder of Ned Windsong, a young Arapaho (who is an electrition) who got caught in a robbery scheme and couldn't get out.  New assistant for Father O'Malley is a retired bishop; I liked him & the insights he brings!

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story isn't unusual for the Wind River series, but the perspective of a new character that's isn't Vickie or John was interesting. It added a new level of complexity to the story telling that made it feel more refreshed and new than it has for the last few books.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is behind the killing of two young Arapahos and the beating of a young white girl? Is there a crime ring involved? And what about the mega-church leader who promises wealth to believers? How does all this tie together? Father John and Vicki are now trying to find the answers.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dull reading with a less than satisfying ending.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 15th mystery set on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, attorney Vicky Holden goes up against the community and Father John O'Malley when she defends a potentially murderous outsider.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good entry in a very engaging series...

[Dick Aichinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wind River Mission priest Father John O'Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden once again find themselves involved in the same case from different perspectives but in ultimate coordination.

This story circles the case of a young Arapaho man who is found murdered along with his girl friend, a young white woman he met while in Jackson, Wyoming where he worked for a short time. The circumstance around his death is a mystery at first. The girl friend is badly beaten, though she later insists she can identify the two Indians responsible. Nothing is as it should seem. There is a base prejudice surfacing among those in the tribe pushing suspicion on the white woman, the outsider. Somehow she must be involved in the killing.

The identified Indians can easily be believed to be the guilty ones. There is something that doesn't ring fully true about it all though for the Father John, much to the disappointment of Vick Holden. There is a sense, maybe just a nagging one, that something is not quite right about the theory of the murder and it takes later events to turn the reader to wondering just who should also be considered.

The ending is interesting. A quiet, private conversation between John and Vicky presenting what might really have happened.

Margaret Coel charms the reader with rich and colorful descriptions of the Wind River Reservation, the Arapaho, and the inner conflicts that dwell within us all and how they can both make us weak or strong by how we deal with them. Her characters have such flows and conflicts but also show the strength that comes from facing and dealing with them. These books are always a treat for me.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wind River books are always gripping. Margaret Coel has a gift for engaging the reader on page one and holding the reader's attention throughout. I found the story tragic, as are so many stories, true and fictional, of youth with limited opportunities who turn to crime, no matter the culture. In Coel's books it is Arapaho culture that attempts to ground them in traditional values, but the young warriors are impatient, wanting what the white world has and wanting it now. The murder of a young man trying to follow traditional ways is challenging to solve and keeps the reader guessing. However, the ending, while solving the murder, left one character/suspect 'in the wind' so to speak, which made me less than satisfied.

[Brian Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Wind River Mysteries. Two people were left in a house and one was shot dead. The other, Marcy, said she was knocked unconscious by one of the men she identified as the killer. Marcy later identifies 2 Arapahoes, Dwayne & Lionel, as arguing with the dead man before she was knocked out. Of course Father John and Vicky are prominent in the story. Lionel & Dwayne were busy hiding and they threatened Roseanne to keep their hiding place a secret. Later, Roseanne was present when another, more lethal bad guy was killed. Marcy disappears after Father John saw how unhinged she could be. Her disappearance left some foggy possibilities that someone other than Lionel or Dwayne could have been the killer. Very well written story that might have left a mystery unsolved.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of the series and have read them in order from the beginning. I have enjoyed the interactions between Father O'Malley and Vicky Holden. This one felt a bit flat for me. I did not enjoy the two women who were interested in the dead thief. They whined to much. I did not care one way or the other about the two dead Arapahos from Oklahoma. They were one-dimensional bogeymen and not developed in the way that I have become accustomed to from this author. Also, the two main characters throughout the series barely seemed to acknowledge each other. I will finish the rest of the series. Every author is allowed to have a bad book here and there.

[Anne Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does Coel pit Vicky and Father John against one another? Besides the descriptions of the land, it is their relationship that made me vow to complete the series. It is getting more and more difficult to follow through on this reading goal. The narrative is just so repetitive in the parts that don't need to be repeated. I crave more sagebrush and less recapping of the backstory. I know that readers need to be introduced to the backstory in case this is their first book in the series, but I do think it would be an amazing gift for the devoted readers for Coel to go deeper into the worldbuilding.

[Gareld Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books in the series. This book provided the reader a chance to see Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley operate more independently than in most of the previous books. Both held up really well. I didn't miss the fact the Adam Lone Eagle was not in this book. I don't think he has done anything but add tension with no redeeming value. The story seemed plausible. The head bad guy came as a bit of a surprise. The pace of the story was good considering this was one of the longer books in the series.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book with the characters being primarily Arapahoe Indians and the setting on the "rez." Characters were very compelling and well-developed. Good mystery plot, too, with a bit of a twist at the end for a possible sequel. It is obvious that the author knows her stuff insofar as background on this tribe. A nice different read!

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about a murdered Indian with our heros John and Vicky solving the murder. I thought that the repeated telling of the tale got pretty boring and the use of legal jargon by non legal characters was off-putting. The cultural issues illuminated were fun, though, and the mix of Indian culture with white law is a discovery.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mystery in which both John and Vicky were involved, but other characters solved it. This ended a bit suspensefully but also a little slowly and even then a loose string was left. I'm wondering if it will turn up in a later novel. Once again, great characters and environment held my interest as well as the murders. I enjoy this series.

[Vida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Father John and Vickie story. Not as much angst in this one. The bad person(s) were more obvious in this story. I, however, like Coel's story telling and willling read them. They are quick, interesting and entertaining.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt there was a little more psychological depth to this one than other entries in the series. The relationship between the father and the lawyer makes me crazy, but I like the father and the many secondary characters as well as the setting and the culture.

[Anastasia Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm surprised at Vicky, constantly defending Marcy's abusive, controlling father. It seemed out of character. Despite her own abusive relationship, she was quick to defend women in abusive relationships and tell them to flee.

[Lorraine McCleary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young Arapaho man is killed and his white girlfriend beaten unconscious. But there is something "off" with this girl. The young man was discovered to be a part of a looting ring, but was he killed by his cohorts and who exactly was in charge of the ring?

[Andy Weiler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a random book I picked up. Wasn't terrible, but I didn't know it was part of a series. It took me forever to read, but part of that was just being busy.

It follows a lawyer and a priest as they try to discover why a guy was murdered.