Wild Sorrow

by Sandi Ault

Book Overview

The Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author returns with BLM agent Jamaica Wild. In the midst of tracking a wounded mountain lion, Jamaica is forced to seek refuge in an old abandoned Indian School when a snowstorm hits. Exploring, Jamaica discovers the desecrated body of an elderly Anglo woman, frozen on the floor. After the storm, the FBI takes over the murder investigation, but Jamaica remains haunted by the frozen woman. As the dead of winter...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425232638
• ISBN13: 9780425232637
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Touching mystery

Jamaica and her wolf are trapped in a snow storm at an abandoned school in the wilderness of a reservation. She finds an injured cougar and a dead woman although not in the same places. The dead woman has an unpleasant history with the Indians on the reservation. Jamaica gives us a wide introduction to the Indian lifestyle from the female point of view something that has been missing for a long time. She gives us all an insight into the Indian life and styles and way of thinking that I did not expect and presented all of this with a entrancing mystery that did not disappoint.

A riveting thriller recommended for any mystery library

WILD SORROW deserves ongoing mention as an impressive third addition to her 'Wild' mystery series. Jamaica and her wolf track a wounded mountain lion into a canyon and come across an old Indian school which houses the body of an elderly white woman. Her discovery leads to a murder investigation that will lead to Jamaica being stalked by the killer herself in this riveting thriller recommended for any mystery library, especially those with prior popular picks in the series.

Native Lore and action at its best

BLM Agent Jamaica Wild and her companion wolf, Mountain, are back for another Rocky mountain adventure in Sandi Ault's latest book, Wild Sorrow. While tracking an injured mountain lion, Jamaica comes across the body of a murdered woman in an old abandoned Pueblo school where she and Mountain have taken refuge from a storm. They find out they are not the only ones to find the body, when a commotion from her panicking horse brings them face to face with an injured and starving lion. With the help of her companion, Jamaica is able to drive the lion off and protect the body through a freezing, sleepless night so that the crime scene can be preserved. The action escalates as suspicious accidents lead Jamaica and those who care for her to believe that someone once again is out to get her. Her life is entwined in the sad story of the Indian children who suffered at the hands of the dead woman. Could investigating these old tragedies be the reason she is targeted? Shots fired out of nowhere, an avalanche triggered over her head, a beating and near rape, an explosion that nearly kills her and her friend, FBI agent Diane--the action continues as Jamaica tries to investigate the murder and rescue the lion, who has left two starving cubs in the wild. During all the action, Jamaica has to deal with the challenge of keeping a captive wolf. Mountain is a young adult male now and starting to test his boundaries, which include running off into the woods where local ranchers have sworn to shoot him on sight. Since he is now unable to survive in the wild on his own, Jamaica has no choice but to cage or chain her precious friend when she is unable to take him with her. With her skillful word crafting, respect for the Indian traditions and loving descriptions of the wildlife and nature around her, author Sandi Ault weaves a wonderful story full of cliff hanging action, mystic Pueblo Indian lore and just the right touch of romance. by Rhonda Esakov for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

WILD AT HEART

Any writer who deals with either a novel or short story series (or both) knows that their primary characters speak to them--live with them, day and night! After reading WILD SORROW, the third in Sandi Ault's WILD series, it's clear she suffers (marvelously) with this affliction. Aptly named, her protagonist, BLM Agent Jamaica Wild, expresses both a laid back beauty inspired by that Caribbean isle, plus a tempestuous side equal to the untamed wilderness she patrols. In WILD SORROW, Sandi crafts a heartfelt tale as she and Jamaica escort readers from the fast-paced action of their last adventure, Wild Inferno, back to the Tanoah Pueblo, with its unique cast of characters and culture the two gals have obviously come to love. It's Christmas, and the Pueblo is alive with festivities, both public and private; a time for body and soul cleansing celebration. But for Jamaica Wild--as the book title implies--it's also a time of sorrows; three that track throughout the novel: Jamaica's efforts to rescue a wounded mountain lion and her kittens faced with certain death if the BLM agent can't save them; Jamaica's haunting discovery and enigmatic journey into a bi-cultural past that humbles and humiliates both Indians and whites; and Jamaica's struggle with her beloved pet, and constant companion, Mountain, now an adult wolf, too often expressing his naturally wild tendencies. Entwine these conflicts within a murder mystery that pits Jamaica's tenacity to know the truth against a vengeful assailant who desperately wants to include her on the victim list and you've got one heck of a good read, a page-turner whodunit packed with put-you-in-the-scene description of the high-dry New Mexican landscape and the people who call it home. Ah-h-h, it's good to be back. Wonder what the gals have in store for their next adventure? Whatever it is, you know it'll be WILD!

excellent whodunit

Bureau of Land Management resource protection agent Jamaica Wild is the liaison with the Tanoah Pueblo. A rancher complains that a wolf has attacked his sheep, but Jamaica believes the predator is probably a mountain lion. With her friend the semi-civilized wolf Mountain, she follows the wounded animal's bloody trail while expecting a blizzard to hit the area shortly. When she reaches some ruins, she takes shelter from the weather inside the ruins of the San Pedro De Arbues Indian School. Inside Jamaica finds the body of a woman whose hair was scalped. Later she learns the corpse is Cassie Morgan, an elderly Anglo woman who was a matron of the Indian School that abducted children from their "savage" parents to Americanize them through corporal punishment and substandard food, health care, and shelter. After she reports the homicide, Jamaica sees an ATV and gives chase. From that moment on attempts are made to frighten Jamaica off the investigation, but when that fails, murder attempts follow. The protagonist is brave refusing to allow thugs to run her off the case though she is a bit fearful even with her faithful companion Mountain having her back. The whodunit is exciting because no one, not even the heroine, knows why she has become under siege. Sandi Ault provides readers with a deep vivid look at the life of a Pueblo inside an entreating outdoors' mystery. Harriet Klausner