The Ghost Walker

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Authors: Margaret Coel

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More praise for

THE GHOST WALKER

“A corking good read . . . Coel’s Catholic Irish Jesuit priest and his Arapaho friends and neighbors, each with their individual worldviews and sensibilities, make for interesting contrasts in this excellent mystery that focuses on the strange place Native Americans occupy in their own land. An outstanding entry in a superior series.”


Booklist
(starred review)

“Engaging . . . Coel’s series in the Hillerman tradition finds a space where Jesuits and Native Americans can meet in a culture of common decency.”


Kirkus Reviews

“Sharp writing and poignant characterizations.”


Affaire de Coeur

“The writing has grown smooth in a way that makes it clear that Margaret Coel and Father John O’Malley will both be around for a long time to come.”


Mostly Murder


The Ghost Walker
should show everyone that Coel is not a one-hit wonder. She not only tells a believable story, she invokes the power of place to draw readers into her tale. She crafts a good whodunit and throws in enough obstacles to keep the tension building . . . Sometimes a fiction writer knows her subject so well, you almost forget it’s fiction. What more can a mystery reader ask?”


Gazette-Telegraph
(Colorado Springs, CO)

Praise for Margaret Coel’s National Bestselling Debut,

THE EAGLE CATCHER

“Margaret Coel’s account of dastardly deeds among the Arapahos on the Wind River Reservation shouldn’t be missed by anyone interested in either new trends in mystery writing or contemporary American Indian culture. She’s a master at both.”

—T
ONY
H
ILLERMAN

“The best parts of
The Eagle Catcher
are Coel’s portrayal of the dual cultures that exist uneasily on the reservation and an uncanny sense of dialogue that makes her characters ring true. Coel merges her grasp of history with the mystery genre. The result is so successful, you wonder what took her so long!”


The Denver Post


The Eagle Catcher
’s Native American theme will inspire comparisons to the work of Tony Hillerman, but its insights into the Arapaho way of life in our century are unique to this form.”

—L
OREN
D. E
STLEMAN
, author of
Edsel
and
City of Windows

“A first-rate mystery, played out against a background of Arapaho tradition and the vast reaches of Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, and featuring two admirable sleuths, Father John O’Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden.”

—J
EAN
H
AGER
, author of the Mitch Bushyhead and Molly Bearpaw Cherokee mysteries

“Welcome Margaret Coel to the ranks of esteemed Western mystery writers such as Hillerman, Hager, and Prowell.
The Eagle Catcher
is not only an alluring fresh mystery told with the authoritative voice of a historian, it is also a thoughtful testimony to the clash of cultures that endures in the West.”

—S
TEPHEN
W
HITE
, author of
Higher Authority
and
Private Practices


The Eagle Catcher
is an intense and fascinating story of avarice, tragic old wrongs and ultimate justice. Margaret Coel has gifted us with a Western mystery full of characters we long to know better and a Wyoming setting that takes our breath away.”

—E
ARLENE
F
OWLER
, author of
Arkansas Traveler
and
Seven Sisters


The Eagle Catcher
mines the Arapahos’ rich history and lore to stake out Coel’s territory among the growing body of western literature.”

—The Associated Press

“Insightful commentary about Arapaho culture . . . Likable, well-drawn characters and a lively pace mark this novel—which seems poised for a sequel—for Hillerman fans.”


Publishers Weekly


The Eagle Catcher
is a beautifully plotted novel with tension that builds with the speed of a stone rolling down a hill.”

—A
NN
R
IPLEY
, author of
Mulch

“One can only hope that this is the beginning of a long and shining career for both Margaret Coel and Father John.”


I Love a Mystery

“The story begins at once and drives straight through. The theme is handled with a wonderfully deft hand: the reader learns something without thinking about the process, which is what all good novels do.”

—J
OHN
D
UNNING
, author of
Booked to Die

“Coel’s writing raises
The Eagle Catcher
to a level that’s rare in a first piece of work.”


Colorado Daily

“A rousing mystery.”


Rocky Mountain News

“Fascinating.”


Internet Book Review


The Eagle Catcher
is a tightly crafted murder mystery from start to finish. The book offers the reader a blend of Native American spiritualism, action that is rocket-paced, and a host of contemporary moral issues that face us all.”

—R
OBERT
G
REER
, KUVO Public Radio

Berkley Prime Crime titles by Margaret Coel

Catherine McLeod Mysteries

BLOOD MEMORY

THE PERFECT SUSPECT

Wind River Mysteries

THE EAGLE CATCHER

THE GHOST WALKER

THE DREAM STALKER

THE STORY TELLER

THE LOST BIRD

THE SPIRIT WOMAN

THE THUNDER KEEPER

THE SHADOW DANCER

KILLING RAVEN

WIFE OF MOON

EYE OF THE WOLF

THE DROWNING MAN

THE GIRL WITH BRAIDED HAIR

THE SILENT SPIRIT

THE SPIDER’S WEB

BUFFALO BILL’S DEAD NOW

KILLING CUSTER

NIGHT OF THE WHITE BUFFALO

Anthologies

WATCHING EAGLES SOAR

The

Ghost Walker

Margaret Coel

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

THE GHOST WALKER

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 1996 by Margaret Coel.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

BERKLEY ® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-66363-9

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime hardcover edition / October 1996

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / September 1997

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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