From Publishers Weekly
After last year's blandly botanical Plant Them Deep, the Thurlos make a refreshing return to an honest-to-goodness whodunit, in which Ella Clah, special investigator for the Navajo Tribal Police, undergoes such trauma that she's forced to rethink her priorities—and her entire life. When tribal councilman Lewis Hunt's invalid wife is burned to death in a suspicious house fire, Clah and her police team set out to prove arson and bring a killer to justice. But the solution turns out to be anything but simple. Local radio talk-show host George Branch has stirred up a hornet's nest regarding gun control and Hunt's stand for heavier restrictions. Branch soon finds himself a suspect in the fire investigation as well as the target of another misguided attempt to express someone's difference of opinion. And there's family trouble, too. Ella's medicine man brother, Clifford, tries to locate an elderly holy man who can perform the proper curing ceremony to alleviate the traditionalists' fears of Ella and her perceived "sickness," but meanwhile Clifford's busyness sends his wife Loretta to find more than just employment at the local college. There are no slow spots in the action as Clah dodges bullets, heads up a hostage rescue and battles her personal and job-related demons. Fans will delve into this one and feel right at home. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
All sorts of conflicts are built into this ninth installment in the Thurlos' series set on a Four Corners Navajo reservation and focusing on the work of Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah. There is the inherent tension between the old, new, and neotraditional ways of the Navajos; there is conflict with outsiders; and there are the conflicts Clah faces between being a traditionally raised Navajo and a female cop in very untraditional circumstances. In a hair-raising opening, Clah's fall down an abandoned uranium mining shaft and the bizarre way in which she survives give her a whole new set of problems, since many Navajos believe she survived because she was helped by evil spirits. Clah is forced to track down a 90-year-old medicine man to cleanse her, a task made more daunting by a rash of arsons on the reservation, which quickly start claiming victims. The Thurlos hit all the right notes: they have an intriguing, growing character at the center of a series that combines fast-moving plots and a wealth of fascinating cultural information. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"A hair-raising opening. The Thurlos hit all the right notes."


Book Description
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 quickly when an underground explosion triggered the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft. Seeing a child sliding into an exposed tunnel, Ella saved his life but was trapped underground for several frightening, airless minutes.

Ella's brother Clifford, a Navajo medicine man, believes that Ella died and that his hataalii abilities showed her wandering wind spirit the way back to her body. Traditionalist Navajo are reluctant to speak to Ella, fearing that she has been contaminated with chindi and become evil. Even some of her fellow police officers are uncomfortable in Ella's presence.

Undaunted, Ella continues her quest for justice. But she knows that her experiences underground have changed her permanently. Perhaps she will find a new way to walk in beauty . . . .



About the Author
Aimée and David Thurlo are the authors of the Ella Clah series, of which White Thunder is the tenth volume, of the Lee Nez series of Navajo vampire mysteries, and of the Sister Agatha novels, mysteries featuring a nun. Their other works include Plant Them Deep, a novel featuring Rose Destea, the mother of Ella Clah, and The Spirit Line, a young adult novel.

David was raised on the Navajo Reservation and taught school there until his recent retirement. Aimée, a native of Cuba, has lived in the US for many years. They live in Corrales, New Mexico, and often make appearances at area bookstores.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
In this ninth exciting Ella Clah adventure, the ex-FBI agent turned Navajo cop faces new challenges as lead investigator of the tribal police's Special Investigations unit. When an old tunnel collapses while Ella is attending a gathering marking the filling-in of an old uranium mine on the reservation, Ella's quick reactions save her young nephew￯﾿ﾽand nearly result in her own death. The daring rescue is big news, but Ella's brush with death leads to some unexpected complications. Traditionalists among the tribe fear that what returned from the old mine may not be Ella, but something evil wearing her form -- or, at best, Ella's wind spirit returned to her after being contaminated by the spirits of the dead and the more recent skinwalker magic that taint the place where she fell. That can't change until she's undergone a cleansing ritual...and the only Navajo medicine man who knows how to do that is out of reach on a spiritual journey. Unfortunately, with a rash of arson and murder building dangerous momentum on the reservation, Ella can't put her work on hold while she's waiting for some old man to turn up and prove to everyone that she's not dead, evil, or worse. As Ella puts her life on the line for the sake of the people she's pledged to protect, she comes to realize how close she came to losing everything she holds dear￯﾿ﾽand gains a new appreciation of her family, her work, and, most of all, her tribal identity. This is another powerfully compelling Native American mystery from the husband-and-wife writing team of Aim￯﾿ﾽe and David Thurlo. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Before the new nuclear power plant can be built, the power company must help the Navajo reclaim a long-unused uranium mine. The plan is to collapse the old shafts and refill the area with new soil, but the first explosions trigger unplanned subsidiary collapses. Ella Clah, attending the dedication and purification ceremony, acts quickly when she sees a young child sliding into the exposed tunnels. She saves his life but is trapped underground and nearly suffocates." "A few days later, Ella, little the worse for her near-death experience, is checking out reports of vandalism and arson. It seems that gun control advocates on the Rez have made some enemies - enemies who kill when an arson fire claims the life of a Navajo Council member's wife. Then the home of local radio host George Branch - who may have incited the fatal arson - burns to the ground destroying Branch's extensive gun collection." "Ella's investigations are hampered by what happened to her at the uranium site. Some who witnessed the accident and rescue are convinced that Ella died under the earth. Many Christians and modernists call Ella's revival a miracle. But traditionalist Navajo are reluctant to be near or even speak to Ella, fearing that since she was dead, she has been contaminated with chindi and become evil. Even some of her fellow police officers are uncomfortable in Ella's presence." "If she cannot interview witnesses or work with other cops, what is Ella to do? She finds solace in the unquestioning love of her young daughter, and the unflagging support of her brother, Clifford, who nonetheless recommends that an older hataalii perform a special blessing ceremony for Ella." Ella's life has been changed, perhaps permanently. She may no longer be an effective police officer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly