Heart of the Storm
Lindsay McKenna
Harlequin HQN, Dec 2007, $6.99
ISBN: 9780373772254

Rogan Fast Horse stole a sacred ceremonial pipe, killing the female guardian on the Rosebud Reservation. The thief next used the special pipe to magically kill the vice president of the United States. The FBI conducts a massive manhunt, but the few clues they find make little sense.

The daughter of the murdered guardian Dana Thunder Eagle was to have inherited the pipe from her mother, but following the homicide she fled her home on the reservation. Although feeling unprepared, she accepts the responsibly of retrieving the pipe and preventing Rogan from using it to kill again. She has five weeks left to before Rogan can regenerate the power to re-use the pipe to magically murder someone. Former Delta Force soldier and psychic warrior Chase Iron Hand trains Dana to become a special kind of fighter able to defeat Rogan.

This is an exciting tale, in which the perpetual action is built around Native American mythos. The lead couple is an interesting pairing, as they have no time for much more than training; to a degree that leaves Chase and Dana somewhat enigmas to readers, which in turn adds to the tension. HEART OF THE STORM is an enjoyable cat and mouse, as Chase knows Dana must recover the pipe as its power is gender specific, but she is not ready, even as he expects the stakes to be higher than the second homicide.