Set against the backdrop of the New Mexico desert, Cold Heat introduces an eclectic cast of characters that brings the American Southwest to life. Theres Officer Jaime Red Claw of the Alta Sheriffs Department, who discovers skeletal human remains on his day off. Theres fifty-two-year old Bernice Begay of Show Low, Arizona. She creates handmade Native American rugs and blankets and sells them with the help of her two sons Milford and Dilford. Bernices cousin, Tessie, is a basket weaver. Their lives intersect with that of twenty-one-year-old truck driver Kyle Westknown in the Yah-te spirit Bak-Chi-Hloand seventeen-year-old Evan Withers, who is introduced to the interesting world of truck driving as he travels from New York to Mexico. A sequel to Grandfathers Songs, this novel examines the second-class citizenship experienced by Native Americans while focusing on the special qualities of Indian heritage, culture, and families.
