I
have only one complaint about The Red Bird All-Indian Traveling Band, by Frances Washburn:
I want to read more about this
character, and right now there's only one book. Sissy Roberts is
someone I could follow through many more volumes.
Sissy
doesn't solve mysteries deliberately – her detective skills are a
side effect of a gift she has that can also be a curse. People want
to tell Sissy things. She never asks them to, often doesn't want
them to, but for some reason, they feel they need to tell her their
problems and secrets. They aren't even hoping that she'll be able to
figure out a solution for them. They just want to tell. So when a
member of the community is murdered, Sissy's gift puts her in danger.
Did the killer already tell her something that will allow her to
piece together the puzzle?
To
make matters worse, the FBI gets involved, and they are not popular
on the rez, ever since the Wounded Knee incident. The agent in
charge of the investigation finds out about Sissy's talent, and he
thinks she can help. But Sissy has her own problems, not the least
of which is what she's going to do with the rest of her life. She
loves singing in the Red Bird All-Indian Traveling Band, but is she
missing her true calling? And what the heck is it?
How
Sissy manages to juggle her problems, her romantic life, and a job
that's taking her nowhere, while solving the mystery of a sad
killing, is what makes this book a delight. It's short and punchy,
and I doubt you'll see the solution until Sissy spells it out. This
one is for readers who enjoy mysteries with plots driven by
interesting characters. We carry it at the Heard Museum Book Store, so I hope you'll visit us in Phoenix, maybe buy a cup of coffee, and settle down with this wonderful book in our courtyard.
Emily Devenport is currently writing a science fiction novel set in Arizona, and may even finish it some day soon . . .
