Kiss of the Shaman's Daughter

Against the backdrop of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, aspiring diva SYLVIA MAZZONI hopes to combine her Santa Fe Opera debut and a romantic reunion with her lover, Washington attorney ROLF KELLER. But Rolf’s old nemesis from law school, CHARLES SLATER, now an archaeologist, intrudes on their tryst. He is on the run from ruthless antiquities traffickers, who are after his recent find of prehistoric Indian artifacts.

After Slater vanishes under suspicious circumstances, Rolf plunges into the New Mexico wilderness to search for him and his priceless cache. Soon, he finds himself in desperate flight not only from the guns of the murderous smugglers, but from the FBI as well.

When the soprano slated to sing Tosca develops vocal problems, opera management drafts Sylvia as a last-minute replacement. While struggling to convert the daunting challenge into the career triumph she has pursued all her life, she and Rolf are threatened by the smugglers who will stop at nothing to get their hands on Slater’s hoard.

As they unravel the twisted clues Slater left behind, Sylvia and Rolf stumble upon the intriguing legend of a shaman’s young daughter, TEYA, who played a crucial role in the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680 against the Spanish oppressors and perhaps concealed the treasure of a lost pueblo.
Now, three centuries later, the paths of Teya, Sylvia and Rolf are about to cross in this riveting historical thriller involving archaeological crime, southwestern history and grand opera.

Second Place 2022 Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest

German Edition: Kuss der Schamanentochter – Revolte, Verlorener Schatz und Schmuggler (Diva Unverzagt Buch 2)

Also by Peter Bernhardt:

The Stasi File – Opera and Espionage: A Deadly Combination (Diva Undaunted Book 1), 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist; First Place 2022 Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest
German Edition: Die Stasi-Akte – Oper und Spionage: Eine tödliche Kombination (Diva Unverzagt Buch 1)

Red Romeo – Stasi Gigolos and the Spy Hunter of Germany (Inspired by Actual Events); First Prize 2023 Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest
German Edition: Roter Romeo – Stasi Gigolos und die Spionjägerin von Deutschland (Inspiriert durch tatsächlich zugetragene Ereignisse)

As I approached my prime, I developed the powerful urge to write thrillers. My wife harbored the absurd suspicion midlife crisis had struck, because I was bound in those days to courtroom and desk at the U.S. Attorney's Office. So my dream remained just that for a long time. As soon as I retired, though, we moved to Arizona and I took things in hand by enrolling in a workshop for wannabe authors. German is my native tongue, not English, and my experience as an author consisted of the publication of a couple of student papers and law journal articles, plus cranking out numberless legal pleadings and briefs. What was I thinking? The workshop was a bust, but it did push me into tackling my first book, The Stasi File - Opera and Espionage: A Deadly Combination, in which, following the age-old advice to "write what you know," I wove together the unlikely combination of a German upbringing, a lifelong love of opera and my experiences as an attorney. After a beginning that seemed to take forever, I was surprised when the challenge of creating characters and building a plot that was real and intriguing started to take over my waking hours, and a few sleeping ones too. My skill and talent developed quickly, but there were many times they seemed almost superfluous--I was too busy holding on tight as "my" characters and their actions took over and went their own ways, leaving me to serve as their scribe and menial servant. What a journey! "The Stasi File" was named a finalist for Book of the Year by the British Arts Council sponsored website YouWriteOn.com, and is ranked a bestseller by the site. The novel was a quarter finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. Reviews and reader comments on the book include "breathtaking roller coaster ride," and "comparable to the books of Clancy, Ludlum and Follett." For these and other comments see http: //www.amazon.com/Stasi-File-Peter-Bernhardt/dp/1849233845 and my website, http: //sedonaauthor.com. I've completed writing Kiss of the Shaman's Daughter, which pits The Stasi File protagonists, Sylvia and Rolf, against ruthless smugglers of Indian artifacts during Sylvia's engagement at the Santa Fe Opera, interweaving as subplot the story of thirteen-year old Indian girl, Teya, during the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680 that drove the Spanish from New Mexico.