Wild Indigo (A WILD Mystery)

by Sandi Ault

Book Overview

" A] striking debut . . . Scenes of the high, dry, glittering landscape are as clean as sun-bleached bone, and there are thrills galore . . . But Ault is no less artful at depicting the marriage... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425219011
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Berkley
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

A Terrific Read!

With Wild Indigo, Sandi Ault has managed to combine a gripping story whose vivid characters fairly leap from the page with a fascinating look at Pueblo culture. And as icing on the cake, at least for dog lovers, she gives us one of the most memorable literary canines I can recall, descriptions of whom are so heartfelt that he must surely be based on a real and much-loved wolf/dog. I await impatiently the next in what I hope will be a long series of Jamaica Wild books.

I want my own Momma Anna!

Industry reviews and customer reviews appear to all be in agreement: WILD INDIGO is an exciting, high-paced, beautifully crafted book. But, what I love most about the book goes beyond being an exciting novel. Ms. Ault clearly has spent so much time researching this book, and clearly has such a love for the Pueblo Indians, that it is contagious to the reader. This book has inspired me to visit an area I previously knew nothing about and to study a people I barely knew existed. I feel as magnetically drawn to this mysterious tribe as the main character, Jamaica Wild, does. I want to have my own "Momma Anna". At the same time, the author really conveys the theme of leaving the People alone and giving them their privacy, leaving me wanting to learn more, but from a respectful distance. There are hundreds of high-quality, exciting novels on the market today. But, over time, the memory of plot details begin to fade. One thing that cannot fade is an interest and passion, and a desire to research and learn more. This was something that WILD INDIGO provides that most novels do not.

Wild Indigo is fantastic

Sandi Ault's Wild Indigo is mesmerizing from the tragically mysterious beginning to the gripping on-the-edge-of-your-seat ending. Ms. Ault walks the reader directly into the breath taking vistas of Northern Mew Mexico and onto the fictional Tonoah Indian Pueblo with her incredible visuals. She expertly weaves the intricate tale of a Bureau of Land Management agent, Jamaica Wild, her heart rending relationship to her wolf pup, Mountain, adoptive pueblo family, and an ancient Hispanic spell casting healer. While the mystery around the death of one of the natives and disappearance of two others unfolds, we experience first hand pueblo life interwoven with a profound mystical belief system. Wild Indigo is a deeply felt, page turning glimpse into a world few of us would otherwise be privey to.

Author Knows Her Subject

One of the most insightful mystery novels I have ever read. It is as though the author is really living her story. The descriptions of the native American customs, beliefs and worship of the good Mother Earth are all convincing and written in a loving spirit and understanding of a gentle, loving people. Outside of the beautifully written words there is an excellent mystery story. Am looking forward to future adventures of Jamica Wild and her wolf Mountain.

fine Tanoah thriller

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) agent Jamaica Wild is a liaison between her agency and the Tanoah Pueblo in Northern New Mexico. It is the period of Quiet Time, a sacred holiday where the Pueblo is closed to outsiders. Jamaica is there because she was invited by her mentor Momma Anna Montayo to cook and while there a child says the buffalo are loose from their pen. When she goes to investigate she sees Jerome Santana in the pen going towards the bulls who are ready to charge, a look of rapture on his face. He is killed but war chief Reuben Rael and Wrangler Sonny are more concerned that she is on the rez during Quiet Time. They escort her off their land but Jamica tells her boss that she thinks Jerome, who never uses, was on drugs. The tribe refuses to allow an autopsy and when Jamaica is on the land again, they complain to her boss, saying she caused the buffalo to stampede. He has no choice but to suspend her. Her investigation takes an odd turn, some of it mystical but it takes a near tragedy for the truth to come out. What Tony Hillerman and Aimee and David Thurlo do for the Navaho, Sandi Ault does for the Tanoah. Readers get a vividly descriptive look at their culture and belief system, trying to maintain the old ways while living in modern times. The heroine is a loving gutsy woman who keeps a wolf for a pet and refuses to let her suspension keep her down. She is a modern day warrior who takes action when she feels that is the proper cause. Harriet Klausner