Ravenmocker

Molly Bearpaw #1

by Jean Hager

Asked to witness the autopsy of an elderly Cherokee man who died unexpectedly in his nursing home, Native American Advocacy League investigator Molly Bearpaw discovers that the dead man's heart has been stolen

Genres: Mystery, Native American, Fiction

244 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

aka Leah Crane, Marlaine Kyle, Sara North, Jeanne Stephens and Amanda McAllister.

Jean Hager is the award-winning author of two acclaimed mystery series. One features the half-Cherokee police chief, Mitch Bushyhead. The other stars an investigator for the Cherokee Nation, Molly Bearpaw, and includes her two previous novels, Ravenmocker and . Winner of numerous awards, Jean Hager lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Series:
* Mitch Bushyhead
* Molly Bearpaw
* Iris House B&B

Reviews

[Dawn (& Ron) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There just wasn't a whole lot of Native American stuff here. I was disappointed by this, especially since I discovered this series and author after a recommendation from my favorite author, Tony Hillerman. His books give us a look into the Navajo culture and its myths, which is what I had hopes for here, for me there was too little about the Cherokee people. Normally I try not to compare books, unfortunately in this case and with any Native American mystery I read, fair or not, the comparisons to Hillerman are inevitable.

The mystery itself was good and compelling. I will try others in the series to see if the Native American aspects become more prominent.

Ron's review

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. Definitely kept me guessing and I enjoyed the ending.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an especially good cozy! First, it is set in a small Oklahoma town, particularly in the nursing home there. Since I have a love for the elderly and have worked and volunteered in many nursing homes over the years, that was especially intriguing for me. Also, the mystery is the predominant story going on here, which I appreciate. There are side stories: a possibly budding romance, the Native American cultural aspects, and of course, the DOG! But they do not at any time take over the mystery, which is "who killed and why". Then, the solution to the mystery, which has many possible outcomes, is, in the end, something simple, yet somewhat of a surprise, and I always enjoy a twist at the end.

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, maybe 2.5 ... but the premise was so thin and the investigative techniques so horrible that I nearly quit in the middle of this... It didn't help that I just finished the latest Michael Connelly - kind of a high bar, but nonetheless.....
Also the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be when it grew up... is it a mystery? Is it a romance? Is it a look into the Cherokee culture and mythology? Is it an indictment of nursing homes and the way we treat the aged? It was trying to be all these, but wasn't fully successful at any of them... Sigh.

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first story in the Molly Bearpaw series. Molly is an interesting and likeable protagonist. I'm fascinated by Cherokee spiritual beliefs, or old ways, and how Hager weaves them into the elements of the story. But the main focus of Ravenmocker is the logical investigation of the crime and I loved the involvement of nursing home patients. The pacing is steady and the further I read, the harder to put down. I'll definitely continue this series.

** Mainstream fiction, mild profanity

[Cheryl Nobles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this series as I live in town it is written, it is like reading a movie. I can visually see where she is talking about and understand the folks she is talking about. I recommended it to several people.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Interesting characters, good mystery and no nonsense. No long, silly detours. Will definitely read more from this author.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Molly a lot and wanted to see her succeed! The mystery was suitably twisty.

[Kim Hollstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the Coel series. Looking forward to reading more.

[Norla Chee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Nothing new in the way of mystery writing.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woodrow Mouse is afraid his elderly father was taken away by a Ravenmocker, the dreaded of Cherokee witches. But when Molly Bearpaw, investigator for the Native American Advocacy League, looks into the death of Abner Mouse at the Country Haven nursing home in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, she find no Ravenmocker--only a simple case of botulism and then a not so simple case of murder.

Twenty-eight, rail thin, and rebounding from a love affair with a married man, Molly, with the help of a handsome sheriff's deputy named D.J. Kennedy, explores the dusty backwaters of the Cherokee Nation and finds a whole array of suspects who might have wanted an old person to die. Greed and money and lies are the spirits stalking the Cherokee Nation during this summer heat wave, and now Molly Bearpaw is in far more danger than she can know ...
~~from the back cover

I was so hoping this would be more about life in the Cherokee nation and a rolicking good mystery to boot. I'm part (very small part) Cherokee, so it caught my eye. I had hopes.

Well, it turned formulaic. Our heroine is ambivalent about the tall handsome dude who is madly in love with her. Our heroine makes the decision to go do something anyone with a lick of sense would know better than to do, & THD gets really really irate (as well he should do). Our heroine solves the mystery, and discovers in the last few pages that she's falling in love with THD. The end.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Molly Bearpaw Cherokee Indian mystery series set in Cherokee County Oklahoma. Mary is the investigator for the Native American Advocacy League and responsible for investigating claims of civil rights violations for Cherokees. If this first mystery is any indication, Mary spends more time investigating actual crimes than potential civil rights violation claims.

An elderly Cherokee residing in a skilled nursing facility dies of food poisoning and his son asks Mary to find out who was responsible and why. Molly works with a part Cherokee deputy sheriff to solve the mystery which is more complicated than first appears.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly Bearpaw is asked to watch an autopsy as her client is afraid the Ravenmockers caused the death of his father. Although the corpse's heart was intact and the death wasn't the fault of the ravenmocker, Molly is drawn into investigating the deaths in the local nursing home as the residents seem to be dying from poison despite the repeated favorable inspections of the nursing home.
The theme of native American culture entwined in mysterious deaths was interesting. Hager's writing is not as good as her plots and characters but it is a quick, enjoyable read.

[Colette JO schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thumbs down

Unfortunately nobody took the time to proof read this book and it is tortuous to read it with so many mistakes. Paying for books is supposed to be entertaining but with several mistakes per almost every page it's hard to follow the story with all the stumbling around trying to read. This would be a good read but for the lack to attention and detail.

[Tracey S Choat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1\2 Stars

While I did enjoy the mystery, this book desperately needs a good editor. Conversations were especially difficult to understand, causing me to re-read the dialogue. There were so many misspelled words that made reading some paragraphs confusing. I do plan to read the next book in this series with the hope the author hired an editor.

[Catherine Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two stars are the result of absolutely no copy editing. The story and characters are wonderful, but the lack of copy editing made for a very poor reading experience. Inexcusable for an author to trash their own book for lack of copy editing, it is a basic, and very necessary, part of the book publishing business.

[Anne Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

She is not Dana Stabenow or Tony Hillerman for mysteries with a Native angle, kind of slow and tedious, but I will read the second one and see if it is any better. I was actually excited to learn more about Cherokee myths.

[Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing ~

Another win from Jean Hager. I like the Bearpaw series more than her Bushyhead books; Molly is an engaging protagonist. This one - like Hager’s other books - is intricately plotted, with believable (& authentic) characters.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery with eerie undertones. Native American mythology comes home to a nursing home. Who or what is killing off residents?

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a Indian investigator helping her tribe with legal issues

[Rose Zamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. . .and was intrigued with the process Molly used to solve the mystery. Good book. . .I plan to read more of these.

[Roy Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story

Entertaining and The Who done it mystery was intriguing. Not totally transparent. Good summer read. I did enjoy it. Recommend

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm extremely partial mysteries and this one appealed to me because of my interest in Native American culture. The story was well written and very plausible. Having just visited many of the towns mentioned in the story I could very easily visualize the area. Looks like I will be reading more mysteries in this and other series by Ms. Hager.