In this third book in the 'Sean Stranahan' series, the painter/private detective helps search for a missing woman. The book works fine as a standalone, though familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
****
Sean Stranahan - an artist and private investigator - moved from the East Coast to Bridger, Montana for a change of scenery and the excellent fly fishing.
Sean had been living in his office/studio, but he and his sheltie Choti now reside in a large teepee. Sean's 'mailbox' is a rock, his 'bathroom' is out in the woods, and he follows Native American customs when guests visit.
Sean's living situation seems rather eccentric to Sheriff Martha Ettinger, who sometimes hires Sean to work with her team.
Martha's crew includes Deputy Sheriff Walt Hess, who was once a Chicago police detective;
and Native American tracker Harold Little Feather, who can follow footprints and animal tracks that are almost invisible.
As the story opens, Ettinger's squad, on horseback, are searching Papoose Mountain for a missing woman called Nanita Martinelli (Nicki). Nicki is a 25-year-old naturalist and fly-fishing guide who works on the Culpepper Dude Ranch. Nicki had tagged along on a trail ride, then peeled off to take the long way back.
When Nicki's horse returned to the paddock without her, the call went out about a missing woman. Ettinger's team answered the call, along with Sheriff's Sergeant Warren Jarrett, Culpepper Ranch's manager Bucky Anderson, and Grady Cole - a wrangler smitten with Nicki.
In fact, many men are enamored with Nicki, a gorgeous redhead who's known as the 'Fly-Fishing Venus.'
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As the search continues into the night, Martha and Walt camp out and light a fire. In the morning, Martha is making her way up a rise when she hears wolves howling.....and comes across a shocking sight. The body of wrangler Grady Cole is lying on top of an elk carcass, with an elk antler grotesquely protruding from his abdomen.
It turns out Grady was murdered, which adds to the mystery of Nicki's disappearance, and divides the work of Ettinger's deputies.
As the search for Nicki drags on, Ettinger phones Sean Stranahan - who's on a fishing trip - and asks him to return and help.
Nicki's continued absence suggests foul play, so Sean is dispatched to Nicki's home town of Libby, Montana, to see what he can find out. In Libby, Sean learns about a tragic occurrence in Nicki's family, and is told a young man had been around looking for her.
After Stranahan returns to Bridger, Nicki's sister Asena - also a beautiful outdoorsy redhead - arrives from her home in British Columbia.
Asena suspects Nicki's old boyfriend - who calls himself Fen, and has an odd affinity for wolves - may be responsible for Nicki's disappearance. So Asena hires Stranahan to look for Fen. During Sean's search, he learns that Fen (whose real name is Todd) has been to prison for sexual crimes, and exerts Svengali-like control over young women he takes up with.
When a wolf scat containing a red hair is found, word spreads that a wolf ate Nicki. This causes a HUGE ruckus between people who want to kill wolves and environmentalists who want to protect them.
[Note: Wolves are a controversial issue in Montana. After wolves were wiped out in the region, they were re-introduced in 1995. Ranchers hate wolves for (allegedly) attacking their cattle, and ecologists believe wolves are natural to the environment.]
A large part of the book has Ettinger's team, including Sean, chasing after Fen, who's been seen around the area. The pursuit of Fen, and twists in the plot, lead to an exciting, action-packed climax.
In the characters' personal lives, Martha Ettinger and Harold Little Feather are in a relationship....until they aren't;
and Sean - whose last girlfriend has moved on - seems to ignite romantic sparks with Asena, Martha Ettinger, and a tracker called Katie Sparrow. I'll be curious to see where Sean's romantic life goes from here.
The book is engaging, but the plot is too complicated and confusing. With respect to murders (or attempted homicides), there's Nicki's disappearance; the wrangler's death; and a young woman who was badly burned in a local hot pot (thermal pool). There's also too much chatter about wolves. Admittedly, this is an important real-life issue, but it's over-emphasized in the novel.
I enjoyed visiting with compelling recurring characters, but I wish Sean's best friend, the fishing guide Sam Meslik, would tone down his colorful language about women. Sam's observations are adolescent at best, and offensive at worst.
This isn't the best book in the series (so far) but it's worth reading if you're a fan of Sean Stranahan novels.
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