Night of the White Buffalo

Wind River Reservation #18

by Margaret Coel

With her gritty mysteries steeped in authentic Native American culture, New York Times bestselling author Margaret Coel is “widely considered the most accomplished heir to Tony Hillerman’s legacy,” (Scripps Howard News Service). In the latest Wind River novel, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley confront a ruthless killer in the wake of a miraculous event.     
 
A mysterious penitent confesses to murder, and then flees the confessional before Father John can identify him. Two months later, Vicky discovers rancher Dennis Carey shot dead in his truck along Blue Sky Highway. With the tragic news comes the exposure of an astonishing the most sacred creature in Native American mythology, a white buffalo calf, was recently born on Carey’s ranch.
 
Making national headlines, the miraculous animal draws a flood of pilgrims to the reservation, frustrating an already difficult investigation. As visitors throw the reservation into turmoil, Vicky and Father John try to unravel the strange events surrounding both Carey’s murder and the recent disappearances of three cowboys from his ranch.
 
It could be coincidence, given the nomadic life of the cowboy trade, but when one of them fails to appear in court to testify on an assault charge, Vicky wonders if Arnie Walkfast and his Arapaho buddies are guilty of more than just assault. And at the back of Father John’s mind is the voice from the man in the I killed a man …
 

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Westerns, Native American, Mystery Thriller, Indigenous, Native Americans

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Margaret Coel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the acclaimed novels featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, as well as several works of nonfiction. Originally a historian by trade, she is considered an expert on the Arapaho Indians.

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good entry in the Wind River series. A white buffalo is born on a buffalo farm on the reservation and is instantly revered by whites and Indians alike. Meanwhile cowboys from that farm have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Vicky and Father John must investigate. Recommended to Wind River fans.

[High Plains Library District · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll admit it, I was a Nancy Drew fan as a kid. Oh, there was an occasional Trixie Belden and Encyclopedia Brown, but Nancy got most of my attention once school was out. Fast forward a few decades and I still find myself wanting to read a mystery or two (or five) at the start of the summer.

This year, Margaret Coel’s stories—reminiscent of Tony Hillerman’s body of work—filled the longing for a light but interesting mystery series. Her latest, Night of the White Buffalo: Wind River Reservation Mystery, Book 18 , hit the spot on a rainy weekend. It was the familiar characters, Boston-born Father John O’Malley and Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden, however, who held my attention. Giving a nod to a fellow regional mystery writer, Coel opens the book with Father John reading a Craig Johnson story as he whiles away a quiet, hot summer afternoon in the confessional at the mission church (on the Wind River reservation in Wyoming), awaiting visitors. He finally hears one confession, that of a murder, but he is stymied in his attempt to identify either victim or perpetrator.

The plot of the story was okay, but lacked the usual ethnographic depth of Coel’s works, particularly the most recent books that have explored the Arapaho’s interaction with historical figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody and General George Armstrong Custer. The “who dunnit” component of the story wasn’t much of a mystery either; that was pretty clear a few chapters into the story. The bigger mystery is what Coel has in store for O’Malley and Holden. She liberally sprinkled “clues” throughout the story, particularly in the closing paragraphs, setting the stage for some sort of reveal in her next book, The Man Who Fell from the Sky, due out in September, 2015. Hmmm, maybe Coel also read a few Nancy Drews along the way.

Need something to get you through our monsoon-like weekends? Pick up any of Coel’s Wind River Reservation mysteries or her equally appealing Catherine McLeod stories set in Denver. There are only two of the McLeod stories, but along with a fast-paced urban mystery, Coel (a historian by training), sheds some light on the history of the Arapaho in Colorado before they were forced onto the reservation at the end of the 19th century. School may be out for the summer, but with a volume or two of Coel’s mysteries at hand, you can keep learning while indulging in purely pleasurable reading at the same time.

-Cindy

[Dick Aichinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father John O'Malley and lawyer Vicky Holden once again join forces from separate angles in this story missing cowboys and murder.

The story's backdrop is the the birth of a white buffalo calf at a white man's ranch within the Wind River Reservation. A white buffalo calf has spiritual symbolism for Native tribes representing the presence of The Creator still in their lives. The old tales say the white calf comes at times of need by the people. People, Native and white and more, travel for miles to view and consider the import of the sacred symbolism.

Within all that happens on the reservation as the result of the calf is a murder on a road of the rancher where the calf is born; a cowboy from Colorado in search of a friend to tell him his mother is dying; and the realization that other cowboys have gone missing ... all having worked at the same ranch.

As with other books by Margaret Coel in the Wind River series, history and traditions of the Arapaho tribe is sprinkled throughout adding to the interest of the stories.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to say too much about what is another excellent book by Margaret Coel. It's different because the Whites of the Windriver Reservation take a more central role. It focusses an the disappearance of ranchhands from a Buffalo ranch where a rare, sacred white buffalo has been born.
I'm afraid I guessed very early on what had happened (I don't think it was that difficult) but it was interesting watching the story unfold over the pages.
A very good read, as usual.

[Courtney Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Margaret Coel's Wind River series of mysteries. I look forward to following Vicki Holden and Father O'Malley as they solve crime while wrestling their unrequited attraction to each other. I especially enjoyed Coel's handling of the white buffalo phenomenon and was inspired to write a series on the subject for Native American Antiquity (www.CourtneyMillerAuthor.com).

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is, but I dearly love Wyoming as a setting for the mysteries I read...Particularly, I just inhale the works of Craig Johnson and C.J. Box, but when the library wait is interminable for those author's works, I settle in with Coel's Father John and Vicky Holden...In their own right, they're wonderfully drawn characters and her stories carry the same weight of respect for law enforcement, religion and Native American culture as my favorites...In "Night of the White Buffalo," Coel brings together murder, missing cowboys and the birth of a sacred white buffalo on a local ranch into another solid page-turner...Good Stuff

[Steven Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good offering in the author's Wind River Mystery Series. Familiar characters in a well-conceived plot in a beautiful setting make for an enjoyable read in my opinion. I am already looking forward to the next installment.

[Carol Stanley-Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! First time reading Ms. Coel......won't be my last!!

The white buffalo is rare and sacred to my people. When one is born on the Wind River rez, all heck is broken loose!!

Good fotune mixed with horrors of murder.

Enjoyed so much I checked 4 more out from the library!!!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series - heard her speak again this year and adds more meaning to the mysteries.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prejudice usually makes an appearance in Coel's mysteries, but here it's at the forefront. She does an admirable job showing how this bias can lead to wrongful arrests, and she does so without portraying the Arapahoes as being 'saints.'

She doesn't disappoint in the portrayal of the significance of the white buffalo to plains tribes.

In a few sentences, Cole paints a realistic picture of relationships. It's a message that should strike home for readers, especially those who are desperate for 'love.'
p 237: They had started with so much hope, she and Adam. Such a promising direction, as if on some day in the future she would love him and he would love her and they would go on, but that day had never arrived. They had loved each other as much as they could, she thought. As much as was possible, but it hadn't been enough, all that wanting love. They had needed more.

re: the simile's
I noted 35 simile's; 2 of which were good. There were probably more good ones that I missed because they didn't interrupt the flow of the story.

[Richard Cochrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s an interesting book mostly because of the insight into the characters portrayed. Coel has done a good job bringing the characters to life.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does the birth of a beautiful white buffalo calf mean to the people of Windy River Reservation? Another story in the Father John O'Malley and Vicki Holden series. What I absolutely love about this series (besides the wonderful main characters) is the Arapaho folklore and culture that are in every book in abundance. Ms. Coel always blends these traditions so well in her stories that they are like the string that ties everything together She always blends past and present into her books as well, and she does this so seamlessly that they always appear relevant for the modern setting of these books. All this, and usually a pretty good mystery is in there for all of us to enjoy as well. This story begin when Father John is faced with a troubled cowboy in his confessional one morning. The man is clearly uneasy and upset and before he abruptly leaves he tells Father Brown in the confessional that has murdered, but only because he had to. Then he disappears. Father Brown does not recognize the man, but his confession haunts him. A very blessed event occurs on a local buffalo ranch at the same time as all these mysterious happenings. A pure white buffalo calf is born on the Broken Buffalo Ranch. A white buffalo calf is a very sacred occurrence in Indian folklore. Shortly after this blessed event mysterious things start happening on the Wind River Reservation. White cowboys are being shot at while driving on the roads, cowboys are disappearing and a local rancher is found shot to death in his truck on the side of the road. Father John and Vicki know that all of these mysterious occurrences are connected and they set out to find out what is going on before more people are killed.
This crime-fighting team (Father John and Vicki Holden) is one of the most unique in the mystery genre. These books are wonderful mysteries and I look forward to them.

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy Tony Hillermaan or William Kent Krueger, you will enjoy this book. It is not the first in the series, but like Krueger, the author cleverly fills the reader in on important past details so that no understanding of events or people from earlier books is lost.

The setting is mostly on or near the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The main characters, a Jesuit Mission priest and a divorced, middle-aged Arapaho female attorney become an unlikely team caught up in missing persons and murder in the aftermath of the rare birth of a white buffalo calf , sacred to all Native Americans. Adding to this unusual birth is the fact that it happened on a reach owned by white people, but located on the Rez.

Coel weaves the past with the present, throws in a hefty dose of Native lore, stories, customs, and history, in addition to tidbits about the mission and law that kept this reader turning page after page. The book progressed much the same way a fine French pastry chef carefully adds ingredients in a particular order in precise amounts to create his final mouth-watering dessert: delicious, satisfying, and leading the diner to crave more.

I will definitely check out her other books.

[Sallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night of the White Buffalo is another of author's Margaret Coel's Wind River mystery series. Crisply written with a great plot and wonderful descriptive writing she brings to life the story of the white buffalo, revered by Native Americans and many others. I learned that a white buffalo changes color in a year or two to black then brown and then red with the possibility of turning white again but always remaining sacred. The author is able to bring the joys and sorrows of the reservation Arapaho to light with a great murder story entwined. A great read.

[Lynne Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all of Coel's books, but this was one of my favorites. Maybe it was the whole concept of the white buffalo, since I am a great fan of buffalo. They are wild and you must be careful around them, and this book does make clear that ranching buffies is not like your average cattle ranch. The mystery is grand too, with a definite twist at the end. Vicky and the Father's relationship seems to have mellowed to something more comfortable for them both, a sterling friendship. As all of Coel's books, you can jump in anywhere in the series and not be lost.

[Chrisette · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Father John and Vicky stumble across murder from two different angles. A white buffalo calf is born on the Wind River Reservation. It's a divine sign from God. How can the two things be happening at the same time in the same place ? Another well written book by the author that could have really happened.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does the appearance of a white buffalo have anything to do with the mysterious shootings in Wyoming? Why is there tension between ranch hands and Native Americans in this wild country? Coel writes a super mystery.

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better stories in this great series.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mysterious penitent confesses to murder, and then flees the confessional before Father John can identify him. Two months later, Vicky discovers rancher Dennis Carey shot dead in his truck along Blue Sky Highway. With the tragic news comes the exposure of an astonishing secret: the most sacred creature in Native American mythology, a white buffalo calf, was recently born on Carey’s ranch.

Making national headlines, the miraculous animal draws a flood of pilgrims to the reservation, frustrating an already difficult investigation. As visitors throw the reservation into turmoil, Vicky and Father John try to unravel the strange events surrounding both Carey’s murder and the recent disappearances of three cowboys from his ranch.

It could be coincidence, given the nomadic life of the cowboy trade, but when one of them fails to appear in court to testify on an assault charge, Vicky wonders if Arnie Walkfast and his Arapaho buddies are guilty of more than just assault. And at the back of Father John’s mind is the voice from the man in the confessional: I killed a man…

[Garryvivianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father John, priest at a Wyoming reservation, gets a confession from an unknown that says he has killed a man. He tries to reason with the stranger to go to the police, and the man runs out of the confessional. Meanwhile the owners of a buffalo ranch get a surprise when a white buffalo is born into the herd. This means something very significant to the Indians on this Arapaho reservation as well as many other people. So people are driving by the thousands to see the white buffalo, to feel blessed by it. While all this is going on too, someone is shooting at drivers on the highway, and ranch hands are disappearing from the buffalo ranch.

Great writing, good characters, good story line. Enjoyed this book immensely. A good mystery story.

[Gareld Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good page-turner. What was happening to all of the missing cowboys? A nice explanation of what the white buffalo means to all of the Native people wrapped around the search for several cowboys who had turned up missing. I liked the paths that both Vicky and Father John took to reach the conclusions they did. I found their interactions to be "comfortable". I still don't see Adam Lone Eagle adding much to the storyline. I also felt like the Irish girl from New Mexico looking for her fiance to be underwritten. I don't know that she needed to have as big a role as the cowboy from southern Colorado looking for his friend but still felt she deserved a bigger role than she got. This was a pretty quick read but a good story.

[Avis Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoy this series of the Wind River mysteries.
Night of the White Buffalo is no exception as a mysterious penitent confesses to a murder, and flees from the confessional before Fr. John can identify him. Two months later the attorney, Vicky Holden, discovers rancher Dennis Carey shot dead in his truck. The tragic news follows the exposure of an astonishing secret the most sacred creature in Native American mythology, a white buffalo calf, was recently born on Carey's ranch. The animal draws people to the reservation, frustrating Vicky and Fr. John's already difficult investigation, during which it involves the murder of Carey and the recent disappearances of three cowboys.
Very good read, which will keep you on your toes, as to who the killer is in this story.

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A private buffalo ranch on the Arapaho reservation the site of a miracle, the birth of a white buffalo calf. This is a sacred event in Native American mythology and people begin to arrive from all over the country, Indians and whites, to view the new calf. While this birth heralds good things, many not so good events have taken place.............the ranch owner is murdered, several cowboys seem to have disappeared from the ranch and, several months earlier, a stranger came into Father John's confessional, said he killed a man and left before Father John can find out who he was. The characters come to life as do their traditions and beliefs. I'm enjoying this series.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and entertaining read. This is the second book in the Wind River series.

Sheila and Dennis Carey have a buffalo ranch on the wind River Rez. Crazy things have been happening- cowbows that worked on the ranch have gone missing, people shot at on the highway, Dennis Carey gets murdered, and a white sacred buffalo calf is born on the Broken Buffalo ranch. Father John O'Malley and Vickie Holden, indian lawyer on the rez, get involved in finding answers to these disappearances and the murder. Are they related? Who would do such a thing and why?

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow and boring. There is enough material for a good story but the writing wasn't interesting. Lots of dialogue often repetitive. Descriptions of how people take their coffee and other mundane things. New information was matter-of-factly mentioned in a sentence or two then back to the grind.

A murder, a missing witness, the birth of a white buffalo calf, tension between Indians and whites, a missing cowboy and the friend who looks for him. Narrated by a lawyer and a priest. Yes they do go into a bar.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blessed event occurs on the reservation, the birth of a White Buffalo. This is a significant event and the book describes the importance of the birth. You will learn the significance in this book. But wait, this is a mystery series. The ranch owner ends up dead. It is believed that Indians may be involved sincethe ranch hires only white cowboys. However the ranch hands are disappearing. Why, Is it connected? The tapestry is woven around this momentous event and you will never guess the murderer(s).

[Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

More dialogue and scenes between Vicky Holden & Father John works have improved this book. The big literary lead up around the white buffalo calf itself doesn't pay off either. That said, this is a solid mystery that takes time to unfold. I really enjoyed being in the dark about a couple of loose ends until the last 50 pages. Plus, Margaret Coel's perspective shift through each of the fleshed-out characters was a fun angle. All in all, "Nightb of the White Buffalo" is a rewarding read for mystery fans.

[Ruth Ellen]

Father John is in the confessional when a man comes in and confesses to murder. as the man leaves, John rushes to catch him but sees no one. Meanwhile, Vicky is trying to help a fellow who is accused of beating a white cowboy. The cowboy doesn't show up to the court date. It seems he has left and then the owner of a ranch is killed. It is a rare white buffalo calf has been born at his ranch. How are all these connected? Read and find out.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual this is another fine light murder mystery from Margaret Coel. The author does a great job with the subject, a murder mystery surrounding the disappearances of cowboys and the appearance of a rare white buffalo on the Arapaho reservation. The usual cast of characters make their appearance in the book. After having 17 other books in the series, sitting down with this book was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. My only issue with this one is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt. Otherwise the book is a great light read.

[Lorraine McCleary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last in the Wind River series. A white buffalo calf is born on a buffalo ranch owned by white ranchers. This will bring in a lot of tourist dollars. But the male owner is found shot to death and cowboys working on the ranch in the past have disappeared. Vicky and Father O'Malley team together to find the murderer. I was hoping there would be some resolution in the relationship between these two, but it just leaves it open ended as in all the other books, unfortunately.