Mary Crow Adventures

At the end of a long high-profile trial, Atlanta prosecutor Mary Crow is going home to North Carolina, and taking her two closest friends with her. The autumn Appalachians are gorgeous, and the women are looking forward to a long weekend away from city life. But the mountains can be equally hazardous, with rugged climbs, impenetrable fogs and treacherous cliffs. Add to the hostile terrain two predators bent on Mary's destruction. Mitchell Whitman seeks revenge for his brother's murder conviction while trapper Henry Brank loves to stalk the innocent victims who happen to cross his path. As her vacation turns hellish, Mary must make an awful choice--does she save one friend and lose the other? Or does she put the two of them at risk and rescue the third from undreamed of harm?

Mary Crow is prosecuting a pedophile case in Atlanta when she gets a frantic call from Ruth Moon, pleading for her help. Mary's goddaughter Lily Walkingstick has been abducted from a Native American protest in the East Tennessee mountains. Over the strenuous objections of Mary's new, dictatorial boss, she heads to Tennessee, hoping the whole thing is a huge misunderstanding. Sadly, Ruth has not called her out on a wild goose chase-Lily was abducted from a PowWow by a Navaho named Joe Little Bear. The local sheriff does a by-the-book search for Lily, though he suspects that the child has been taken by her father, Jonathan Walkingstick, who is currently estranged from his wife. Mary doubts Jonathan would do such a thing, and her doubts are confirmed when strange pictures of Lily start appearing on her cell phone. No ransom demands or political statements appear; just pictures of a squalling baby lying in front of a tombstone. Gabe Benge, an archeologist who attended the rally, recognizes the first picture. Lily's miles away, lying in front of a famous Cherokee grave. He and Mary race to the site, but find it empty. But suddenly another picture arrives on Mary's phone. Again, it's a place that Gabe recognizes. "Someone's taking Lily along the Trail of Tears," he tells Mary. While Jonathan reunites with the emotionally fragile Ruth, Mary and Gabe follow Lily's trail of photos west, into Nashville, finally to the little town of Franklin. As they do, Mary wonders if this kidnapping isn't about Lily at all, but about her. Could Stump Logan, her oldest enemy and a man the FBI claims is dead, be setting a trap for her? Weaving a web of trickery that will settle a decades-old score? Soon is is up to Mary alone, to find the devil that has destroyed the people she loves, and finally call him by his oldest name.

Mary Crow returns to her hometown for a promised job that does not materialize. With shrinking prospects and pocketbooks, she opens a tiny one-woman law practice. Her first client is a successful developer, who hires Mary for brain-numbing real estate work. Her second client, however, is Ridge Standingdeer, a young Cherokee boy accused of murdering the beautiful and popular Bethany Daws. Though Mary's promised, her great love Jonathan Walkingstick no more murders, Mary can't refuse the boy. Ridge is a mystical Ani Zaguhi Cherokee, from one of the oldest, most revered families of the tribe. As Ridge awaits trial, Mary tries to build a defense. Unknown to her, other, less experienced investigators are working, too. Trying desperately to save her shattered family, Bethany's twelve-year-old sister Kayla enlists her new friend Avis in an effort to exonerate Ridge and find the true killer. Kayla's experience in detective work comes solely from television shows, while Avis has read every mystery writer from Agatha Christie to P.D. James. Still, the pair persevere, unknowingly blundering into unimaginable dangers. Though the two girls do uncover evidence, they don't find enough to convince anyone in law enforcement. They decide to set a trap for the killer, using Avis as bait. But, the killer discovers the trap and Avis realizes that she will soon be the next to die. Kayla frantically reaches out to the one person who might help them, Mary Crow. As Mary races to stop the killer from striking again, everything she believes about the Ani Zaguhi Cherokees is up-ended. Their power is real, their mysticism is real as they lash out to save one of their own.

When the daughter of a governor dies a grotesque death at a reputedly haunted cabin, eerie rumors are resurrected in the little town of Hartsville, North Carolina. Attorney Mary Crow becomes reluctantly involved in the turmoil, defending a friend wrongly accused of the murder. This widens the odd rift between her and her partner, Jonathan Walkingstick, and soon their future together is at risk. Mary suddenly finds herself fighting on two fronts--one to help Jonathan retain custody of his daughter Lily; the other to delve deep into a history that's haunted, but still has the power to maim and murder.

Life is looking up for Mary Crow. She has a new love in Victor Galloway, a new job in Tsalagi County, and a new killer to convict. Teofilo Owle is a vicious, wily criminal, who for years has eluded justice through trickery and intimidation. Now even, Mother Nature seems to be, helping Teo escape the law, as a monster snowstorm bears down, upon the Appalachian mountains. As the blizzard roars in, Mary's awakened by a strange phone call. She listens, stunned, as a young caller claims to be Lily Walkingstick, the daughter of Mary's old love, Jonathan. The girl tells a wild tale of fleeing from gunmen and hiding in a mountain pass called Unaka. She's begging Mary for help when her call is lost in a barrage of static. Mary is dumbfounded. She hasn't heard from either Jonathan or Lily in years, and the call smacks of a Teo Owle trick. But the girl's terrified voice haunts her, what if it really was Lily, in trouble? Can she ignore the pleas of a girl she'd once loved, as her own? Ultimately, Mary decides that she must act. Quickly packing her gear, she heads into the mountains. Though she finds Lily, the girl's rescue is far from assured. Predators are stalking Lily and moving in for the kill. Soon Mary must keep them both alive as they pick their way through the white trees and crimson snow.