Changing Woman (Ella Clah) - Hardcover

Aimee Thurlo; David Thurlo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312870590 ISBN 13: 9780312870591

Publisher: Forge Books, 2002

Synopsis

Change surrounds Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah. The father of her child seems ready to be more of a father, though it will alter the rhythm of all their lives and may hurt his political career. Ella's mother, Rose, has rediscovered her passion for politics and struggles to guide her people on the best way to walk in beauty.

The Dineh seem to be ready to bring casino gambling to the Rez, despite the risk that the character of the Navajo Nation will be forever altered. Speaking eloquently against the proposal, Rose becomes a national celebrity.

Ella has no time to think about how these changes will affect her and her two-year-old daughter. The Navajo Police Force is combating an increasingly violent wave of vandalism, always two steps behind despite their best efforts.

Events come to a head with the terrorist takeover of a coal mine and power plant on the Reservation. Ella must keep the terrorists from blowing up the power plant-but how can she focus on being a cop when her daughter is missing?

About this title

About the Author

Aimée and David Thurlo have been married for more than thirty years and have been writing novels together for nearly that long, in a variety of genres including romance, young adult, and mystery. They have three ongoing mystery series, the Sister Agatha series, starring a cloistered nun, the Lee Nez series, featuring a Navajo vampire who teams up with a female FBI agent to fight crimes that have elements of the supernatural, and their flagship series, the critically-acclaimed Ella Clah novels. Several Ella Clah novels, including Tracking Bear, Red Mesa, and Shooting Chant, have received starred reviews from Booklist.

David Thurlo was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation and later taught school in Shiprock, also on the Rez. Aimée, a native of Havana, Cuba, has lived in New Mexico for more than thirty years. The Thurlos share their home with dogs, horses, and various pet rodents. They have written more than fifty novels which have been published in more than twenty countries.

Reviews

Adult/High School-Navajo Police Inspector Ella Clah and her colleagues find it difficult to keep the tenuously balanced peace when economic hard times cause a rift over the issue of allowing gambling on the reservation. When vandalism and rumors of the presence of Indian Mafia escalate into murders, Clah finds herself dealing with a complex meshing of corrupt police, hard crime, and life-threatening danger for her family. The Thurlos have created another realistic, fast-paced, and intense story featuring the inspector. They expertly slip in information and explanations of the Navajo culture through both dialogue and narrative, adding understanding as well as entertainment. The result is a feeling of empathy for the characters, especially Ella and her family, as they face the modern world and also try to retain their cultural traditions. Action scenes keep the plot moving at a quick pace with some surprises along the way, adding to the excitement. Readers who like action, interesting settings, and strong characters will probably like this title as well as the others in the series, which gets better with each entry.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The authors' seventh satisfying novel (after 2001's Red Mesa) about Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah finds her Native American community wracked by internal divisions as well as besieged and bedeviled by deadly outside forces. On the Rez, the issue of using gaming casino money as a means of solving or alleviating financial woes has serious adherents on either side. But a nebulous pro-gaming faction is resorting to pressure tactics and may be behind a rash of vandalism ranging from merely annoying to life threatening. The unsolved acts of vandalism are undermining the Navajo Tribal Police, and as the severity of the acts increases to the level of terrorism, not only Ella but her family are under attack. To add to her troubles, an escaped prisoner with a grudge is gunning for her. In spite of its thriller-like plot, the authors manage to present a good look at the complexities of the gaming issue while maintaining the character-driven essence of the series. Changing Woman the creative feminine power at the center of Navajo beliefs is seen in three generations of Ella's family. Ella's mother, Rose, a traditionalist, begins to assert herself in tribal affairs in a fashion that Ella has never seen before. And her young daughter, Dawn, begins to manifest her nature in new ways. But it is Ella, balanced between mother and daughter, modernist and traditionalist, job and family, who remains the captivating focal point of this excellent series.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Special investigator Ella Clah of the Navajo Tribal Police is an alni, Navajo for one who walks the line between traditional and modern cultures. One of the delights in this series is the way in which Clah, former FBI agent, current investigator in the Four Corners area, and mother of a two-year-old girl, tries to balance her work and home, often feeling the alni quality of being split in half. This mystery itself has much to do with the struggle between Navajo traditionalists and modernists, as the cry for a casino goes up as a way of saving the drought- and recession-plagued Rez. Meanwhile, a wave of petty crimes grows in viciousness and intensity; the Indian Mafia, a group of intertribal Native American activists, stirs up unease; and the Navajo-run power plant is taken over by terrorists. As Ella combats all these disturbances, her daughter and her ex-husband disappear. Plenty of action, splendid characterizations, and a deep knowledge of contemporary Navajo life make this a rewarding read. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

While tribal members argue over whether to open a casino on the reservation, special investigator Ella Clah (Red Mesa) of the Navajo police fights increasing vandalism. This violent behavior escalates into a terrorist threat against the power plant. Ella's child goes missing, meanwhile, as does the child's father. An excellent series addition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312870590
• ISBN 13: 9780312870591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384