Rabbit Moon

by Jan D. Payne

You can't go home again, but death-companion Marin Sinclair didn't expect that her reluctant return to the Navajo Reservation would throw her into a murder plot and government intrigue when she unknowingly becomes involved in a scheme to steal uranium from mines the US government has long abandoned--mines that exposed hundreds of Navajo workers to high levels of cancer-causing radiation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent agent Cullen MacPherson to investigate, but can he be trusted or is he part of the ore thefts and the attempt to defraud the People of their rightful claims to restitution?

Sgt. Justin Blue Eyes of the Navajo Police has the same questions plus a few of his own, and Marin finds herself forced to escape into the mountains of the Reservation to seek safety and to find answers from her own past...before the murderer finds her.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

280 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Navajo mystery. . . I do enjoy a mystery from the Dinetah. . .

In Jan D. Payne's book we meet Marin Sinclair, returning home with mixed feelings. Soon her situation becomes even more convoluted, and the questions fly, and so must she. She decamps to figure out the complications. Somehow the feds and old mines are involved. Dreams and ghosts, too.

Reader, hold on to your hat - there's a cliffhanger up ahead! (for relief, See Book 2 - Changing Woman's Hair). Not gonna let any cats outta 'da bag - but if you are a Hillerman fan. . . . Rabbit Moon may be right up your arroyo.

*A sincere thank you to Jan D. Payne, Rabbit Hole LLC | BookBaby, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #RabbitMoon #NetGalley 25|52:12c

[Rita L. Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Marin Sinclair series, please!!

Really great story. I always love any book with the action taking place in the Navajo Nation. It's as if Leaphorn & Cher will show up. Also, pleaded with the story including all the information on The People.Looking forward to Book 2, hopefully, in the not to distant future, please!

[Kathy Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will enjoy this one

I really enjoyed this book, the story kept you interested and not willing to stop reading. Enjoy everyone you won't be sorry you picked this one.

[Jane Botkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set within a contemporary American Southwest panorama, Rabbit Moon draws the reader into Marin Sinclair’s journey to her past. Immediately mysterious circumstances complicate her trip, threatening her life. Woven into the narrative is a web of Native cultural beliefs and experiences that drive Sinclair’s struggle to help a Navajo friend, one with whom she shared a spiritual relationship. Author Jan D. Payne expertly weaves flashbacks and foreshadowing amidst the narrative’s malicious acts, prompting the reader to read on with bated breath. I escaped into this book!

[Jennifer Dowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journey that Jan D. Payne brought me on in this book. Marin Sinclair nicknamed nightmare was a deep and complex character. Her upbringing on the Navajo Reservation and the Native cultural beliefs she learned and experienced helped her to develop into the adult she became. The author found a way to intrigue you into the circumstances of her return at the invitation of a childhood friend Vangie. Suspense, intrigue, and murder. I could not put this book down once I was drawn in.

[Mags Ahearne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Rabbit Moon. From the first page I was hooked. The journey of Marin was exciting and thrilling. Jan D. Payne seamlessly moved between Marin’s present and past. It was a beautiful story that explored the complexity of Marins life growing up as a blonde, white girl living in a Navajo community. The relationships she had with the community she lived in and the cultures of that community were brought to life as the story unravelled. We learned about how grief touched every aspect of Marin’s life.
Highly recommend Rabbit Moon!!

[Candace Simar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the southwestern flavor of life on the Navajo Reservation. The descriptions are beautiful, the plot believable, and the characters well developed. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This book is one about a women who was raised on the Navho reservation and. as a non indian she didn't fit.

[Barb Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a wonderful job weaving Navajo beliefs and the challenges Native Americans face into a modern day suspense novel.

[John Hoekstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

confused

Confusing. A lot of unanswered questions. Ended very abruptly. It kept me engaged, hope my book club understood it better than I did so they can explain.

[rosemarie hulbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and a great story. It was very sad but it was real life. I would read more by this author.

[Anne Szlachcic · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis of this book drew me in - a mystery set in the Navajo Nation reserve
The book is set both in the present and in the past - I don't usually like reading a book written in this fashion but in this case it worked
I liked the introduction of a white teenage girl into a Native American setting with all its myths
about spirits etc and the pitfalls of trying to live in two worlds , where alcoholism is rife within the community
Where exploitation of the Natives by outsiders has repercussions both in the past and for the future
Marin has been living as an end of life doula - her emotions take a battering with every death - when she receives an invitation from her long ago friend , an invitation that is not all it seems
What follows is her journey where reliving the past becomes necessary to reach her destination
I did not like the attitude of the Navajo Policeman , an old acquaintance , when she was attacked
and I'm not sure another policeman in the same situation would treat her in the same way and allow her attacker to walk free , able to follow and attack her again
It's from this point that the story takes an unexpected turn , one I found hard to believe , one I found rushed to an ending where so many questions remained unanswered .
I presume this leaves an opening for a future book

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marin spent part of her youth on the Navajo reservation while her father taught at the school. Now she is headed back to the reservation after receiving a card from her former best friend, letting her know she is needed. From the time she enters the reservation, Marin encounters one danger after another. Two men are chasing her car, trying to kidnap her, and she has no idea what is going on or who to trust. The story switches between the present day and her past and you learn of her traumas and pain. There is some Dineh culture in the book, but mainly there is the difficulty in straddling the Dineh world and the white world. Payne captures the look and feel of the land very well.
I enjoyed the story and the mystery of why she was being pursued. The novel is full of angst, but pulls you into the story.
Thank you to Rabbit Hole LLC and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Kari Veicht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit Moon follows Marin Sinclair on her trip back to her childhood hometown; a Navajo reservation. Lured by a cryptic invitation from her long-lost best friend, Marin overcomes increasingly dangerous situations brought about by the people who want to keep her from knowing the truth about her friend. Beautifully told stories from her teenage years weave through the present time, providing Marin with a connection to the place she grew up and making her rethink about how she sees herself now. Rabbit Moon is a suspenseful story against the desert backdrop with Navajo culture braided throughout, making it a great read-and a great start to the series!

[Becky Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit Moon by Jan D. Payne takes place on the Navajo reservation and chronicles the experiences of Marin Sinclair, an Anglo and Vangie Tso, a Navajo and their intertwining lives, both as children and adults. The mystery of why Vangie has asked Marin to come back to the Navajo and what happened to them in the past makes the story interesting. The depiction of the country and the people is well done and the ensuing story keeps ones interest.

[Tina McKeever · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say you can’t go home again, but in Marin Sinclair’s case she has put her life in danger by going home.
What is in her past that would have put her life in danger, that is the question Police Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes would like to solve: pick up your copy to see if Marin can survive her past, definitely worth the read!
Tina M

[Cynthia Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

So full of personal angst! Not much Navajo connection.

[Chandler Bausman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disjointed plot

Plot begins well but about half way thru the book loses the plot and gets crazy. By the end I was just skimming to get finished.

[Janell Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Well-written.
A past/present book with an ending that makes you want book 2~!