Sleeping With Eagles

by C.R. Strahan

Part history, part mystery and rich in contemporary issues Sleeping With Eagles chronicles the modern life of the ranching Delaney family of Eagle, Colorado, who in the 1970s find themselves entering dilemma as Vail begins to boom and tourism threatens to overturn the agricultural economy they have spent five generations building. The story is narrated by daughter Julia and her quip-witted mother, Anna Rae, both of whom leap head-long into a feud with eldest son Eddy—heir to the ranch—who dreams of developing it into high-end estates. Julia contends that Anna Rae should be able to live out her life on Delaney Ranch; Eddy can only see the enormous income possibilities, correctly envisioning the future of Vail unfolding into something boundless over time. Told with grit, humor-and partly through "love notes" Julia finds hidden on her great grandmother's remote homestead-Sleeping With Eagles is populated with characters as diverse as the two cultures clashing on its backdrop, from rich tourists and ski bums to cowboys and Indians.

392 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2011