Review: Kindred Spirits

Tempe Crabtree is a deputy sheriff in Bear Creek, a small town at the base of the Sierra Mountains, and she’s married to Hutch Hutchinson, the local preacher.  After a forest fire ravaged through their small community, Vanessa Ainsworth, a local artist, and her dog are discovered dead.  The coroner informs Tempe that they were shot before the fire.  Since no one in Bear Creek knows much about Vanessa, the investigation goes nowhere.  Tempe is visited by Vanessa’s spirit, who warns her of danger.  Being the only woman in the Sheriff’s Department and Native American, too, Tempe is sent to Crescent City to investigate Vanessa’s past.  She contacts Vanessa’s cousin and close friend and they tell her all about Vanessa and teach her some Indian lore, too.  While she’s in Crescent City, Tempe is followed, leading her to believe she’s on the right track.  The trail leads Tempe and Hutch to Santa Barbara and an exciting climax to the mystery.

Kindred Spirits is the eighth book in Marilyn Meredith‘s Tempe Crabtree mystery series. It is not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to enjoy this one.  It is a solid, entertaining, and somewhat predictable mystery with some Native American facts woven into the story.  I’m sorry to admit that I don’t know much about Native American history; this book made me want to rectify that.  You can read the first chapter here.  Go to Savvy Verse & Wit for another review and a chance to win Wingbeat by Marilyn Meredith.  Check out  the trailer for this book (this may not work in Firefox):