Twist Phelan Spurred Ambition

Spurred Ambition

Twist Phelan

Poisoned Pen, Jan 2006, $22.95, 262 pp.

ISBN 1590581741

After learning that her mother committed malpractice to win a case and had an affair that resulted in Hannah Dain being born the attorney leaves Richard Dain's law practice to look for her biological father. This proves hard to do since all the records were sealed by court order on behest of Richard, the man she thought was her father who preferred her younger sister.

She accepts a short term job with the Tohono O'odham Indian tribe to put together a real estate private placement. The day before she starts work, she goes rock climbing on the reservations and runs into difficulties. She is rescued by Tony Soto, a Native American/Latino who turns out to be her boss. While on a tour of the reservation, three men wearing blue bandanas so Hannah doesn't see their faces kidnap Tony. The police search for him while she finds his book with two sets of numbers for the real estate deal. When Tony escapes more violence occur starting with the death of the tribal chief. Hannah begins to wonder just how innocent Tony is and if his zeal for the betterment of the tribe is real or a clever fraud.

Fans of Tony Hillerman will rejoice now that Twist Phelan joins the sub-genre scene. Readers don't have to be financial analysts to get the gist of the security scam and in fact learn more about fiscal misconduct then can be found in a SEC case. There are three murders, one kidnapping, evidences of money manipulations that Hannah thinks are linked together and she sets out to prove it. This is a very entertaining and action filled amateur sleuth tale that brings to life the Indian reservation on the Arizona desert.

Harriet Klausner