The murder of a young Pueblo Indian woman sets the stage for a novel which flip-flops between the points of view of Bernadette's younger sister and the white woman for whom Bernadette kept house
"The best novel of its type since Leslie Sitko's
Ceremony.
The Death Of Bernadette Lefthand should rank among the classics of American fiction." -- Tony Hillerman
Bernadette Lefthand, renowned on the Jicarilla Apache reservation for her beauty and spirited dancing, is found brutally murdered, and her alcoholic husband, Anderson George, has disappeared. Bernadette's grief-stricken sister, Gracie, recalls the young couple's courtship -- traveling to powwows, rodeos, and dance competitions, visiting respected elders and friends on other reservations -- while Starr Stubbs, a white woman for whom Bernadette cleaned house, and an un-named stranger hint at the ineluctable evil that compelled the young lovers to their doom. Red Crane Books sold out its first printing of The Death Of Bernadette Leffhand in three days and these hardcovers have become collector's items. A riveting tale of passion, obsession, and destruction, it provides a striking view of the complexity and bleakness of contemporary Native American life.
1993 Border Regional Library Association Southwest Book Award. Winner Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association 1994 Regional Book Award Winner.
