Ben Pecos Mysteries

Tony Hillerman called it a gripping novel. Booklist says this is a series to watch. Start listening to award-winning author Susan Slater's original series right here, from the beginning. Native American psychologist Ben Pecos has returned to the New Mexico pueblo of his birth as an intern with the Indian Health Service. Still struggling with the demons of his past, he is plunged into the nightmare rampage of a mysterious illness that is killing the residents of the pueblo, including his own grandmother. One of the victims, the powerful tribal governor, had made powerful enemies, and Ben suspects his murder was premeditated-but that doesn't explain the insidious killer now stalking the innocent. Undaunted, Ben digs deep into the motives of power and greed to root out a killer whose deadly agenda is spiraling out of control.

The coyote howled four times. Salvador Zuni laughed, realizing he was holding his breath, then waited for another long piercing wail-hoped for another.... Salvador Zuni is a master carver of traditional Native American fetishes. He is also a cheat. He makes synthetic amber that rivals anything to be found in nature, complete down to the insects he places inside. His recipe is worth a fortune, and someone is after it. When Ben Pecos, the new resident Indian Health Services psychologist, arrives at the pueblo, he finds himself caught up in the investigation of the murder of a trader in native artifacts and fetishes. Someone is willing to kill and use the spirits of the tribes to drive Salvador out of his mind and into prison for the crime. But something smells odd to Ben, and as he begins to investigate, he treads deeper into the mystic and the list of suspects grows longer. Masterfully plotted and rich with the spirit and characters of the Southwest, Yellow Lies shows Susan Slater to be at the top of her form.