“Captures the culture and poverty on reservations still suffering from greed and mismanagement . . . A ripped-from-the-headlines story with a shocking ending.” —Kirkus Reviews
Now that journalist Lola Wicks finally decided to settle down and marry small-town sheriff Charlie Laurendeau, she’s long overdue to meet her in-laws. But shortly after arriving at the Arizona Navajo reservation where they live, an eco-terrorist attack leaves a tribal elder dead, escalating the controversy surrounding the new coal mine on the reservation. Lola’s reporter instincts kick in and soon she’s pursuing the story, which doesn’t exactly ingratiate her with Charlie’s parents. But as the violence escalates, Lola begins to wonder if her husband’s family is somehow involved—a suspicion that could cost her not only her marriage—but her life.
“Compelling, realistically flawed characters and a timely story line . . . make this one of Florio’s hardest-hitting mysteries yet.” —Library Journal, starred review
Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries
“A gutsy series.” —The New York Times
“Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery.” —Publishers Weekly,starred review on Montana
“Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author on Disgraced
“The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time.” —Kirkus Reviews on Dakota
Gwen Florio, a former editor at the Missoulian, is an award-winning journalist and an adjunct professor in University of Montana’s School of Journalism. Florio is the author of the Lola Wicks crime series as well as Silent Hearts, a novel set in Afghanistan. Her first novel, Montana, won the Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel, and a High Plains Book Award. Best Laid Plans, the first book in her new crime series, the Nora Best Mysteries, published in 2020. She currently lives in Montana with her partner and dog.