The Enemy Way: An Ella Clah Novel

Book Description

Former FBI agent Ella Clah is now a Special investigator with the native police force. her brother, Clifford, a medicine man, says that her investigative skills are gifts from the spirits who guard and guide the Navajo, but Ella insists it's her training that has her honed her instincts.

The Navajo are in turmoil. the tribal police are spread thin throughout the vast reservation, trying to rein in gang violence, murderous drunk drivers, and race riots.

Ella's newest assignment is to solve the murder of an old friend's fiancee. Ella is shocked to discover signs of skinwalker activity in the woman's home--was her friend's fiancee a Navajo witch, a hereditary enemy of Ella's family.

Ella must solve the murder, do something to stop drinking and driving on the Rez, and keep Navajo teenagers from killing each other, while trying to find and fight her oldest enemies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly Once again, tradition is clashing with the forces of change on the Navajo reservation where former FBI agent Ella Clah (Bad Medicine, 1997, etc.) is a special investigator. Violent confrontations between two rival gangs, the Many Devils and the North Siders, are increasing. Gang members may or may not be responsible for the brutal death of Lisa Aspass, a teacher. Some among the Dineh, or The People, as the Navajo refer to themselves, blame Anglo influences for splitting them into traditionalists and progressives. A traditionalist vigilante group known as the Fierce Ones targets the gangs, while an Anglo group, The Brotherhood, contracts Ella's death. Both groups are Ella's old enemies, yet her real adversaries may be "skinwalkers," Navajo witches with whom Ella and her brother Clifford have dealt in the past. The savage pace of murder and gang violence is exacerbated when Ella's mother is injured by a twice-convicted drunk driver. In a world out of balance, Ella strives to find the harmony between work and family, tradition and modernity. She herself remains an intriguing bundle of contrasts. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal YA-As a special investigator with the Navajo police force, Ella Clah finds herself and her department straining to meet the demands placed upon them. First, Ella's mother is seriously injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver who happens to have a lot of political clout. Then, vicious gang wars break out, leaving several 16 year olds dead. Next, someone murders the fiancee of Ella's close friend, Wilson Joe. Vigilante groups form to counteract both the gangs and the skinwalkers, or Navajo witches, who are becoming a major component in the gang wars and the murder. Through the law enforcement training she has received as an FBI agent, and the guidance of her brother, Clifford, who is a Navajo hataalii, or medicine man, Ella brings all the differing aspects of the story together in a memorable standoff with the leaders of the skinwalkers. From descriptions of the great beauty of the area and the monumental natural terrain, to the ever-changing weather in the Southwestern desert, each scene includes bits of information that tie the story and the people to the land. Justine, Ella's cousin, best friend, and associate on the force, shows more of her own personality as the story progresses and details about her character begin to surface, adding depth and substance to her initially sketchy profile. The story starts with tremendous energy and never lets up. A book for fans of Tony Hillerman as well as readers who enjoy Nevada Barr's strong female characters. Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.