The Tree People

Referring to her people's ancient lore and rituals in order to track down a vicious killer, Jordan Tidewater, the first female sheriff of the Salish Reservation, finds a clue in an ancient, cut-down cedar tree

Twisting like the roots of the great trees it describes, this atmospheric first novel, a mystery filled with Native American history, traces past and present events in Oregon's coastal timber region, once home to the numerous Northwest Coast Salish tribes, of which few members now survive. According to Quinault legend, when the evil shaman Xulk was buried alive in 1490, a young cedar was planted above him. Modern-day logger Mike McTavish, granted cutting rights on The Tree People's reservation, marks the Old Cedar for preservation. However, Aminte, a descendent of Xulk's lover, moves the marker and the tree is cut, freeing Xulk's spirit. Soon, police chief Paul Prefontaine's wife apparently falls to her death; a tour director goes missing; McTavish is believed to have died in a logging accident; a high-school boy disappears. Chief Prefontaine and his sister, acting tribal sheriff Jordan Tidewater, must decide if modern criminal investigation or ancient ceremonies will stop the rampant evil. The narrative is burdened by lengthy, didactic passages on Quinault lore, logging practices and environmental politics. Although the material seems authentic (Stokes is part Cherokee and she owned a logging company), the action scenes are shortchanged by exposition, and the potentially interesting investigation scanted. Yet Stokes (The Castrated Woman) can write poetically and effectively about this vanished heritage.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When a sacred cedar tree is cut down on the Quinault reservation, the evil spirit of an ancient shaman, Xulk, is released. Thus begins a sequence of macabre events orchestrated by Aminte, a red-haired witch. Losing her husband in a mysterious accident, Hannah McTavish struggles to maintain the logging business while dealing with the environmental issues that threaten her livelihood. Jordan Tidewater, reservation sheriff, assumes her inherited role as shaman and undergoes Native American rituals that allow her passage into the spirit world. In her fiction debut, Stokes (The Castrated Woman: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Hysterectomy, LJ 7/86) artfully blends contemporary conservation concerns of the Pacific Northwest with ancient Native American folklore. A good choice for libraries with demand for Native epics such as Michael and Kathleen Gear's People of the Lakes (Forge, 1994) and Linda Lay Shuler's Voice of the Eagle (Dutton, 1993).
--Mary Ellen Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Stokes has written a unique tale that blends mysticism and mystery with the sometimes harsh reality of the modern world. In ancient times, the evil shaman Xulk was buried alive, his spirit contained in a cedar tree planted on his grave. Hundreds of years later, loggers on Washington State's scenic Olympic Peninsula are locked in a battle with local preservationists. Jordan Tidewater, a Salish Indian and the first female sheriff on the reservation, has her hands full keeping an eye on the feuding camps. What's worse, something evil is afoot: a sacred, ancient cedar tree is cut down; sweet-smelling but deadly winds bring disease and death; and a series of brutal murders takes place. When all of her high-tech, modern methods for solving the murders fail, Jordan realizes that she must reach into her past and find the strength and knowledge that only the most ancient and mysterious Indian rituals can give her. Stokes offers originality and suspense, strong characterizations, and a fascinating look at ancient legends and lore. Emily Melton