C. M. Wendelboe

I found this lurking on my bookshelves. Now, I need to read the other 2 books in the series. Nice twists and turns throughout the story which takes place on the Pine Ridge Reservation in S. Dakota. Manny Tammo is a well respected FBI agent, and a city Sioux. He grew up in Pine Ridge along with his much older brother Reuben. Reuben was a member of AIM back in the 1960s and 70s and a convicted felon, who is now a holy man following the old ways. Manny is sent to Pine Ridge to solve the murder of Jason Red Cloud, a rich architect and land tycoon "the Trump of the West." Manny, being FBI, is not welcomed on the Reservation by the residents or the Tribal Police. Manny's life was in jeopardy within hours of taking up temporary residence in Pine Ridge. Fortunately, Manny was given a bright young police officer for his liaison officer. I was fascinated with the modern history of the Oglala Sioux Nation which permeated this story. Interesting characters and setting made this a great read.… (mehr)

This two-pronged mystery begins with the Midnight Sheepherder rustling sheep in the dead of night. The scene is so vivid that I felt I was right there in the pasture with the thief and the thief's canine accomplice. The second mystery needing to be solved is, of course, the identity of the strangler. Both held my interest all the way to the end of this fast-paced book, and if I'd paid attention to one of my rules of armchair detecting, I would've figured out the rustling mystery. Oh well... sometimes I get so caught up in a story that I forget all about those rules of mine.

Arn Anderson and his motley crew of friends provide both humor and excitement to this second Bitter Wind mystery. He gets along well with Police Chief Oblanski but has a much more difficult time developing a rapport with Slade, the lead investigator on the homicide case. (Probably because Slade is one of these guys who knows he's always right.) But back to that motley crew.

Danny Spotted Elk was a homeless man who thought he'd found a home in a derelict house until Arn decided to fix up his deceased mother's home so he himself could live in it. Danny talked himself into staying because he's a first-rate carpenter/plumber/electrician... and not a bad cook either. Arn's saving a bundle on the renovation, getting fed, and finding out that it's much better when there are two smart alecks on the premises instead of just one. Ana Maria's the one who goes out investigating most often with Arn because she gets her TV station to hire him to investigate things. Wonder of wonders, she's a TV reporter with scruples and smarts, not the typical pains in the neck you usually read about in crime fiction, so you don't want to sic the Saturday Night Strangler on her.

Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler has an excellent double-barreled mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and some hair-raising action scenes added to a very strong cast of characters. C.M. Wendelboe's Bitter Wind novels are a good way to spend an afternoon or two. I'm looking forward to the next one.… (mehr)

This is the second book in this series, I read the first one but this book could also be read as a stand-alone.
Arn Anderson has decided to stay in Cheyenne his hometown to restore his boyhood home. He’s a retired high profile homicide detective from Denver metro. He’s decided to take the job of Range Detective to catch the Midnight Sheepherder. This thief has been plaguing the area and Arn has been unsuccessful in catching this wily thief.
One night the Midnight Sheepherder gets more than they bargain for when they are rounding up some sheep and they notice another truck pull in. They witness a murder, unfortunately, the murderer notices them as well. They tear out of the pasture ahead of the murderer but they mess up their truck getting out of the gate ahead of him.
The rancher calls Arn in and he finds some clues as to what type of truck the Midnight Sheepherder drives or could it be the killer’? It’s a long shot but it’s the only break he’s had in his case.
The Midnight Sheepherder not only has Arn on their case but the killer, who can’t afford to have any loose ends.
This is a real whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the end on who the Midnight Sheepherder, as well as the Saturday night strangler, could be.
I like the characters in this series plus this rugged setting of Cheyenne.
Disclosure: I would like to thank Midnight Ink and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinion I expressed above are my own.… (mehr)