Margaret Coel Wind River Mysteries Series Books In Order

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Wind River Mysteries Books In Order

Margaret Coel’s Wind River Mysteries, also known as the Father John books, take place within the Arapaho community residing in Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation. The central characters, Father John O’Malley, a Jesuit priest, and Vicky Holden, an Arapaho attorney, are amateur sleuths solving “ripped-from-the-headlines” crimes and grappling with the historical injustices that continue to shape their world.

Margaret Coel says she draws inspiration from real-life injustices of the past and present for her cleverly plotted and engaging mysteries. Her writing brings the rugged beauty of Wyoming and the Arapaho culture to life for readers, who describe the books as one of their favourites in the genre.

Characters and storylines evolve as the series progresses, so fans recommend reading the books in order to have a richer experience.

1. The Eagle Catcher

On the windswept plains of Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, Arapahos have gathered for the Ethete powwow. It is a sacred time to reaffirm the balance and harmony in life. But these feelings of unity quickly give way to fear when tribal chairman Harvey Castle is found murdered

2. The Ghost Walker

When Father John O’Malley returns to investigate another murder near the Arapaho Indian mountains, he is shocked to discover that the body he had seen in the snow the previous night has vanished, leaving only suspicion and doubt behind as evidence.

3. The Dream Stalker

With promises of new jobs and millions in revenue, the Wind River Reservation agrees to use their land for a nuclear storage site. But Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden is not willing to let this happen.

4. The Story Teller

When a sacred tribal artifact disappears from a museum, it’s more than Arapaho history that is lost–it’s an Arapaho student’s life…

5. The Lost Bird

Father O’Malley and Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden must uncover a baby-selling scheme at a clinic forty years ago.

6. The Spirit Woman

According to legend, Sacajawea, the Native American woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition through the American wilderness, is buried on the Wind River Reservation.

7. The Thunder Keeper

The apparent suicide of a young Arapaho on sacred ground shocks the populace of the Wind River Reservation.

8. The Shadow Dancer

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and her friend, Father John O’Malley, believe that Orlando Sherwood has more to do with the murder of Ben Holden than he lets on

9. Killing Raven

When the body of a white man is recovered from a shallow grave in one of the most troubled corners of the Wind River Reservation, Father John O’Malley knows that if the murderer isn’t caught quickly, this tragedy will only be the beginning.

10. Wife of Moon

Arapaho attorney Vicki Holden and Father John O’Malley must find the link between the murder of a woman–and the murder of her ancestor from a century earlier.

11. Eye of the Wolf

This is for the Indian priest. The cryptic message was clearly meant for Father O’Malley. The unemotional voice on the answering machine, speaking of revenge against old enemies

12. The Drowning Man

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley find themselves immersed in the dark underbelly of the illegal market for Indian relics.

13. The Girl with Braided Hair

Attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley investigate the death of Liz Plenty Horses

14. The Silent Spirit

Kiki Wallowingbull went to Hollywood to uncover the truth behind why his great-grandfather disappeared back in 1923. But after Kiki’s frozen body is discovered on the reservation

15. The Spider’s Web

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden agrees to represent a woman accused of murdering her Arapaho fiancé, a decision that places her at odds with her own people and Father John O’Malley

16. Buffalo Bill’s Dead Now

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley are witnesses to history—and murder

17. Killing Custer

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley are caught between two cultures that won’t let go of the past—and a killer who won’t leave any witnesses

18. Night of the White Buffalo

A mysterious penitent confesses to murder, and then flees the confessional before Father John can identify him. Two months later

19. The Man Who Fell from the Sky

When Robert Walking Bear’s body is found in the Wind River mountains, his death appears to be accidental—except for the fact that he had been hunting for Butch Cassidy’s buried loot

20. Winter’s Child

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley discover that a centuries-old mystery is tied to a modern-day crime on the Wind River Reservation