A Way to the Manger

A week before Christmas Charlene Toya, local teen basketball star, goes missing on the way to her Tewa pueblo home. Native American psychologist Ben Pecos offers to help the family and begins to piece together some disturbing facts-Charlene's dark and painful secret has likely put her on a collision course with some very nasty bad guys. As the people of the pueblo prepare for the holidays, a cloud of sadness hangs over all. Tension mounts as Ben and the police try to find Charlene before the unthinkable happens. Surprisingly, 96-year-old Lorenzo Loretto provides the most important clues in this heartwarming Christmas novella, rich with New Mexico ambiance and tradition."Susan Slater captures our New Mexico pueblo Indian traditions perfectly-you'll love this beautiful Christmas story!" –Connie Shelton, USA Today bestselling author Kansas native Susan Slater lived in New Mexico for thirty-nine years and uses this enchanting Southwest setting for most of her mystery novels. Her Ben Pecos series reflects her extensive knowledge of the area and Native American tribal ways. As an educator, she directed the Six Sandoval Teacher Education Program for the All Indian Pueblo Council through the University of New Mexico. She taught creative writing for UNM and the University of Phoenix.The first in this highly acclaimed series, The Pumpkin Seed Massacre, reached Germany's bestseller list shortly after its initial publication as a German translation. Original print versions of the first three titles were outstandingly reviewed in nationwide major media.In July, 2009, Susan made her first foray into women's fiction with 0 to 60, a zany, all too true-to-life story of a woman dumped, and the book was immediately optioned by Hollywood.Late 2017 and 2018 brings a new era to Susan's storytelling. Secret Staircase Books is releasing newly edited versions of her entire Ben Pecos series in paperback, and brings the series to a whole new set of readers for the first time in all e-book formats.Now residing in Florida with her menagerie of dogs and canaries, Susan writes full time and stays busy in community theatre and other volunteer projects. Contact her by email: susan@susansslater.com Native American psychologist Ben Pecos lives and works in New Mexico.Traveling between the northern pueblos and reservations, he becomes embroiled in a new mystery in every location.