The Redbird's Cry

Molly Bearpaw #2

by Jean Hager

The redbird is the daughter of the Sun. And if she had been brought home safely, the people could have brought back their friends from the ghost country... The tale of the redbird explains the origin of death in Cherokee myth, and it is a story intricately woven into the rich fabric of this remarkable new Molly Bearpaw mystery. Following the acclaimed debut work in this series, Ravenmocker, The Redbird's Cry solidifies the reputation of Jean Hager, a veteran writer drawing upon a unique contemporary setting and featuring a resilient new heroine. It is autumn in Oklahoma. The woods are strewn with hackberry leaves, and a chill is in the air. For Molly Bearpaw, an investigator for the Native American Advocacy League, it is a lovely time of year, while for her elderly grandmother, it is a time of foreboding. When a terrible crime is committed at the Cherokee National Museum, it fulfills the old woman's worst premonitions and plunges Molly into a struggle for the truth. At the museum, amidst looms and basket weavings, a bright young lawyer is struck down in a crowd, the victim of a poisoned dart. Is the killer a troubled teenager? If so, was he the pawn of someone more powerful? Molly Bearpaw and Deputy D. J. Kennedy strongly suspect the involvement of the hot-headed leader of the True Echota Band, a group involved in lawsuits against the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Soon Molly is trying to solve not just a murder, but a whole string of crimes. Then when priceless, ancient wampum belts, relics whose powers frighten many traditional Cherokees, are stolen from the museum following the murder, she is sure the murder was caused by something far greater than a personal vendetta. Redbird's Crydelves into the real-life trials and tribulations of the modern Oklahoma Cherokees. With Hager's deft characterizations, strong plotting, and Molly Bearpaw's resourcefulness and complexity, The Redbird's Cry is a gripping my

Genres: Mystery, Native American

274 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1994

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

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Molly Bearpaw but overall this story didn’t grab me like her other books. Everything was ok - but just flat. I was bummed but I don’t feel like I know the characters.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. Lots of characters and plot threads to keep track of but it all made sense in the end, and ending I was surprised by.

[Jessaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like simple mysteries, then you will like this book, and if you live in Tahlequah, OK like I do, then it will make this book more interesting, kind of. I read it for my book group, and since there seems to be few reviews on it, I will try. This book of hers is written about Native Americans, and I believe many of hers, if not all, are. It starts out slow by setting up character, and the murder doesn't happen until 1/3 of the way into the book. But it begins with someone driving up to the Cherokee Tribal Complex and spraying black paint of the outside of the building which read, "Property of True Echota Band, Trespassers Beware." She did not develop this story much, so I can't say much about why they were having an issue with the different tribes. Often if a book is too boring, I tend to miss information in it. Next the writer sets up a conflict between two men, Tom who and Wolf. Tom is dating Wolf's ex-wife, and Wolf has stated that if he can't have her no one can." Where have I heard that before. So Tom gets murdered by what they believe is a poisoned dart while he is at a Native American function at the museum. The dart is suspect because it came from Wolf's table where he was displaying a Cherokee blowgun and darts, and someone saw a kid near the table that blew the dart. And now I am boring myself, but if you like cozy mysteries this may interest you. I have never liked mysteries except for Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes, and a new mystery writer than I got free on kindle, Anna Katharine Green, who writes like Sherlock Holmes and came before him.

[Judith A Collins-Wolfe · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many typos!!

I enjoyed the story and the characters, but the poor grammar, missing words, mismatched verb tenses and things like that were really a distraction. I can’t believe no one edited this book properly.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Kept me in suspense till the very end. Did not think that the person who did it was actually the one.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good murder mystery - hasn't helped me go to sleep though ... well-written page-turner. Thanks Mum xxx :-)

[Lynn Meilander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was alright, but The. Worst. Editing. Ever!!! There were numerous mistakes on every page. In one case, one of the main characters was called 'Day' and Daye' in the same paragraph!

[Lana Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Badly edited

I'm not much for committment-phobes as a plot point. This book moved slowly. It did stay interesting enough to get me to read to the end. I'm not find of too many red herrings and this book is packet.
Nobody edited this mess. Names spelled four different ways in one page. Repeated copy. And no wrap up. I suspect the last couple pages are missing. Really simplistic with an out-left-field solution.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at my free-day library book sale and it turned out to be a gem! It reminds me of Tony Hillerman and his daughter, Ann Hillerman and their equally gripping tales. Theirs focus on the Navajo Nation. This story takes place within the Cherokee Nation. I will definitely look for more of Molly Bearpaw's tales!

[Kathy Parisian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Paty Jager's books. I had always been interested in native american stories.

The book content was good but the huge number of typographical errors & inconsistent spellings of the same word were very distracting. I had not expected that from such a well respected author. It didn't put me off from trying again tho'

[Teresa Catlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terrible but not particularly well written. A little amateurish in the way clues were planted

. But the worst part is the awful, shoddy way the book was turned into the Kindle version. It's full of typos, repeated phrases, and misspellings. I want my money back!

[Kristi Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother

I couldn't tell if it was good or not. It was so poorly edited I just gave up trying to read it.

[Marilyn Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn how to write !

Terrible mistakes definitely need a proofreader, my 3rd grader doesn't make that many mistakes in spelling grammar and placement of quotation marks !

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! I read her first Molly Bearpaw book and loved it. This one was every bit as enjoyable or more so. Love learning about the Cherokee culture.

[Judith Pollack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, hope for more.

Seriously needs edit, proof , spell-check. The manuscript is a disaster. Double posting, character substitution, you name it. Needs work!

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 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. Like the first in the series, Mary spends more time investigating actual crimes than potential civil rights violation claims.

A major exhibit is being held at the National Cherokee Museum and Molly has agreed to help. Soon there is a murder and a robbery and Mary is again working with a deputy sheriff and federal agent to solve the crimes. The story line has several aspects involving personal relationships and tensions between a tribal faction and the main tribe over who should be governing the tribe. These help to muddy the investigation by offering possible suspects as well as motives for what happened.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

more cultural details than in the first book

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Molly Bearpaw murder mystery, although I think this reads more like Earlene Fowler than Tony Hillerman. A man is murdered at a museum exhibition and Molly nails the culprit. Recommended.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, Ending quite a surprise, Interesting series about a Cherokee investigator for a native American advocacy group.