Lori G. Armstrong, Hallowed Ground

Hallowed Ground

Lori G. Armstrong

Medallion Press, November 2006, $6.99

ISBN: 1932815740

In Bear Butte County, South Dakota, Julie 'Jules' Collins worries about her private investigator partner and mentor Kevin Wells, as he is too preoccupied with the imminent death from cancer of his beloved Lilly to train her at the moment. when Tony Martinez, owner of a couple of bars and other questionable dealings, wants to hire her for a sizable fee, Jules has to decide on her own. She thinks they could use the money, so agrees to find the missing five year old niece, Chloe Back Dog of Tony's friend and number one man Harvey.

Jules assumes that Chloe's father Donovan kept the child instead of returning her to her mother, his ex-wife Rondelle Eagle Trail. She easily tracks down Donovan at a Brush Creek Construction Company site, which makes her wonder why Martinez could not have done this. Donovan and Jules talk at remote Bear Butte where her brother died years ago. He denies having kidnapped his daughter, telling her to talk to Rondelle and the Smart Start School just before someone shoots Donovan. As the truth begins to surface involving the Carlucci gang, Native American casinos, and the safety of a little girl, a killer targets Jules.

This exciting private investigative tale stars a likable rookie struggling with a case that seemed simple, but with each new revelation spins further out of control. Jules is a strong protagonist who holds the tale together, whether it is a sleuthing subplot or her attraction to Martinez, who reciprocates as he wants 'Blondie'. Readers will enjoy this superb thriller, in which the politics of casinos are right out of Abramoff headlines.