Sister Agatha is an extern nun in the cloistered order at the Our Lady of Hope Monastery near a small New Mexican desert town. As such, Sister Agatha is the link between her cloistered sisters and the outside world. Usually this means running errands in the monastery's slowly dying car (dubbed th...
Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah has seen a lot of death in the decade since she returned to the Reservation, but nothing quite as bad as a series of violent murders of young Navajo. Something about the crime scene reminds Ella of her days in the FBI, and she calls on Agent Blalock fo...
Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah is newly pregnant, and tensions between the traditionalists and modernist Navajo have resulted in vandalisms, thefts, and murder. A break-in at the clinic reveals records of pregnant Navajo women have been stolen. Ella's intuition insists these events ...
Returning to the Navajo Reservation and solving her father's murder taught former FBI Agent Ella Clah a great deal about herself and her people, the Dineh. She has begun to accept that that there is more to the world than can be explained by FBI training and forensic science. Newly hired as a Spe...
Situated in rural New Mexico, Our Lady of Hope Monastery squeaks by on donations and various craft and skilled jobs suited to the nuns’ cloistered, contemplative life. When a stolen SUV crashes through their outside walls, Our Lady’s budget goes through the roof. So it seems like divine intervent...
Once she was Professor Mary Naughton, investigative reporter, teacher, and free spirit. Now she is Sister Agatha of Our Lady of Hope, a cloistered, financially-struggling monastery in New Mexico. As an extern-a nun who handles her order's dealings with the outside world-she is used to having her ...
When an arson fire claims the life of the wife of a Navajo Councilmember who spearheaded gun control measures, tensions flare throughout the Rez. Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah's search for the killers is hampered by what happened to her a few days earlier.That day, Ella had acted q...
A former investigative reporter, Sister Agatha has more than her fair share of spiritual challenges as an extern, a nun responsible for her cloistered order's dealings with the outside world. Still, she's instantly intrigued when the archbishop requests she discreetly investigate the odd disappea...
Is nuclear power the future for the Navajo?NEED, a consortium of businessmen, plans to open a uranium mine and nuclear power plant on the Navajo Reservation, providing cheap power and jobs. For many Dineh, the NEED project looks like a wonderful opportunity. But many others remember all too clear...
“Now do you see why I didn’t want to call them? He wrote up a report, mostly for insurance purposes, and that’s it. When the detectives investigating Kurt’s death hear about this, they’ll assume I set the whole thing up.” “They’re free to come up with as many theories as they want. You can’t stop...
The prisoner lunged at Clarence instead, jabbing him in the stomach. As Clarence doubled over the man grabbed his hair with his left hand and plunged the bloody pencil into Clarence’s face with a right uppercut. Charlie had his hands on the attacker by then and yanked him back. Chaos followed as ...
“To what extent has our safety been compromised?” “I don’t think we’re in any greater danger than before, Mother,” she answered carefully. “We were already threatened once. This is a repeat of the same.” Reverend Mother nodded, lost in thought. “I have new orders for all our externs. Whenever pos...
The ticket agent nodded, still looking at the photo. “Paul wanders away from the group home once or twice a month,” Charlie lied. “It’s off the road over by Rio Grande,” he added, pointing vaguely west. “Usually we find Paul over on the riverbank watching the ducks and geese, but recently he disc...
His right hand was on the mouse, and his left curled around a half-full plastic soft drink bottle. “Hey, Sister! What brings you back here so soon?” He stepped to a waist-high refrigerator, pulled out an unopened bottle of cola, and offered it to her. “Here, have one. I bet you can use this about...