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One rock star sensation. Two men from her past want her dead. Three others will risk everything to keep her safe. All are in peril. Who will be caught in a trap? SNARE - Revenge with a beat.

Native American pop singer/songwriter Katina Salvo embarks on her first live concert appearance. There's one problem: someone wants to kill her. Katina and her bodyguard, Deputy Steven Hawk, are attacked during an altercation at her performance, leaving her to wonder-could the assailant be a mysterious, dangerous man from her youth? Or her estranged father recently released from prison for killing her mother?

The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist SNARE is Book Two of the Inola Walela/Steven Hawk Suspense Series.

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2010

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About the author

Deborah J. Ledford

32 books225 followers
DEBORAH J LEDFORD is an Agatha Award winner and two-time nominee for the Anthony Award. REDEMPTION and HAVOC are from the Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran Native American suspense series.

Her first series, the Smoky Mountain Intrigue Native American police procedural series, includes the titles CAUSING CHAOS, CRESCENDO, STACCATO, and the Hillerman Sky Award Finalist and New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist, SNARE.

Three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, her award-winning stories appear in numerous print publications as well as literary and mystery anthologies.

She is also a former Arizona State University adjunct professor for The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. Ledford is President/Producer for the independent media company, IOF Productions Ltd. She produced the CAUSING CHAOS and CRESCENDO audiobooks as well as The Blind Eye.

Part Eastern Band Cherokee, Ledford spent her summers growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, where her Smoky Mountain Inquest book series is set. She lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her extremely patient husband and their awesome Ausky.

She is a member of: International Thriller Writers Association (ITW), Sisters in Crime National (SinC), Crime Writers of Color (CWoC), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Past-President of Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths (AZ) Chapter.

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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Gorfo.
331 reviews70 followers
July 10, 2011
Snare is packed with all of the elements that make a mystery truly fantastic. It seems that everyone runs Katina Salvo's life. In fact, the only person who doesn't have a say in things is Katina Salvo herself. Katina has always had a human shield, someone who has protected her from the world's hatred. Throughout her life she has been protected first from her father's hatred and secondly from her uncle's scorn. However, as a startling truth is revealed, Katina's eyes are finally opened to the hostility of the world that surrounds her! Bonds are broken, formed and repaired in this exciting novel! After the first 50 pages I was hooked, hooked by the coming storm, and the thunder that was surely on its way. Snare was simply wonderful! Staccato, here I come!
Profile Image for Malcolm.
Author 41 books89 followers
February 11, 2011
Deborah J. Ledford’s “Snare,” book two of the Deputy Hawk/Inola Walela Thriller Series quickly entangles readers who believe young Katina Salvo’s broken past will remain long ago and far away. A popular California songwriter and recording star, Katina has never released photographs and videos or appeared in a live concert because she doesn’t want her fans to know what happened in Valentine, Nebraska on August 29, 1995 at 11:29 p.m.

After convincing her twenty-three-year-old Native American signing sensation she owes her fans a live concert, business manager Petra Sullivan hand-picks a small theater in North Carolina so Katina can debut in a nonthreatening environment.

However, before they leave for the Great Smoky Mountains, Katina discovers that Petra has been hiding threatening fan mail from her. Both overprotective and nurturing, Petra is the mother Katina was never allowed to have. Katina asks if the series of letters is coming from the father she wants to forget.

While Petra maintains the nasty letters are simply a nuisance downside of being famous, Katina is less certain, and wonders what else Petra has been keeping from her. The concert goes forward as scheduled because, as Petra tells Katina, “you can’t hide out forever.” Plus, Katina’s safety is a top priority through the efforts of the sheriff’s point man on the security detail, Deputy Steven Hawk. Hawk also appeared in Ledford’s stunning debut novel “Staccato” (Second Wind Publishing, 2009).

The concert appears to be a triumph until Katina is attacked by a shadowy man in the audience who escapes leaving few clues behind. Katina thinks she knows who it was. Hawk thinks he is responsible for the security lapse. Together, they plan to ensnare the perpetrator. Against the advice of Petra, Hawk’s girl friend and sheriff’s department colleague, Inola, and veteran officer Kenneth Stiles, they fly to the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico where Katina’s past lies hidden.

In “Snare,” Ledford brings her readers a novel of contrasts: Katina’s horrible childhood vs. a successful recording career, people who can be trusted vs. those who follow their own agendas, Native American beliefs vs. mainstream spiritual viewpoints, and the lush beauty western North Carolina vs. the stark beauty of central New Mexico. “Snare” has been nominated for a Hillerman Sky Award, an honor presented to the mystery that best captures the landscape of the Southwest.

While “Snare” does not quite match the bone-chilling punch of “Staccato,” it excels in other ways with deeper character development, a realistic presentation of Native American society and beliefs, and the role of family and friends in the choices one makes. By no means legato, “Snare” provides an ever-tightening story with a realistic, satisfying and unpredictable conclusion

Profile Image for Mark.
Author 2 books73 followers
February 11, 2011
At an electrifying pace from tribal ritual drums and flutes to the beat of the modern pop music scene Native American pop singer, Karina Salvo prepares to emerge from her reclusive cocoon to her first concert on a national stage.
Having written and performed her songs as a recording artist Salvo’s agent Petra Sullivan has prepared the singer to meet her adoring public for the first time in the heart of Appalachia, a small theatre in Bryson City, North Carolina. The concert is sold out and the local Sheriff appoints Deputy Steven Hawk to handle all security issues. Hawk’s preparation for the concert reveals that Salvo’s delayed introduction to the public has been because of her reluctance to have her private life peered into by journalists and paparazzi as she has a secret. Her father is in jail for killing her mother when Salvo was barely eight years old, and he has been released from jail the week of the concert and is considered to be behind the death threats that the young singer has been receiving in the form of hate mail for several months.
Salvo had been raised on the reservation by her mother’s people on the Taos Pueblo along the plains of New Mexico and is the first of her tribe to be recognized for her musical talent. It is to her aunt’s house that Salvo runs, needing a place to hide after the attempt on her life at the concert that has left her petrified and estranged from her manager, and has left Deputy Hawk injured in his attempt to protect her from a malicious Native American presence at the concert, the appearance of her uncle, Taima. Was he there in spirit or in person? Witnesses at the reservation swear he was on their land at the time of the attack but neither Salvo nor Hawk are convinced and as they heal, her spiritually and he physically, they conduct their own investigation from the confines of her aunt’s home.
Is it her revengeful father, the ghostly appearances of her uncle or the tribal drum beat itself that sound the death knell for Salvo and will Hawk, in Ledford’s second in a trilogy featuring the young African American deputy from North Carolina, be up to the task to protect Salvo from the snare he has inadvertently placed her in by bring her home to the Taos Pueblo?
Profile Image for Sheila.
Author 85 books191 followers
May 22, 2012
Deborah Ledford’s mystery, Snare, plays music with mystery, action and excellent locations. It’s the second book in a series starting police Deputy Steven Hawk and his associate Inola Walela. Hawk is called on to lead the protective details around secretive Native American singer/songwriter Katina during her first ever live concert. But the singer’s business manager has been hiding death threats from her, and the girl who likes to hide away feels more vulnerable than ever as secrets come out.

Wounded characters get the chance to heal and move on in this scary tale and there’s a pleasing feeling that mistakes don’t destroy every hope, and even death is not the end. The landscape and people of the Taos Pueblo Indian reservation are brought to life quite beautifully, providing depth of background and enjoyable twists of intrigue to this novel. Meanwhile the writing has a musical feel, playing a different theme from the author’s earlier Staccato, with a flute’s haunting tones flying free above a whispering drumbeat of fear.

The characters are pleasing. The insight into Hawk and Katina’s lives is intriguing. Family is important, both sides of a police line, and integrity wears different uniforms in different places. Personally, I enjoyed this book more than Staccato, feeling it more consistent and self-contained, but that’s just me. They’re both thoroughly enjoyable reads.



Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Trudie Barreras.
105 reviews1 follower
December 15, 2024
In this second volume of her series featuring Cherokee police woman Inola Walela and deputy sheriff Steven Hawk, the author really begins to develop the relationship between these two officers of the law, as well as to greatly extend the connection among Native American people in both Taos and North Carolina. The plot of the story revolves around Katina Salvo, a young song writer who grew up on the Taos Reservation after her Anglo father killed her Indian mother. She was raised by her Aunt Sylvie, but when her talent was discovered, her agent Petra took over not only promoting her talent but also serving as a surrogate mother. Petra was determined to promote Katina to become a public performer to further advance her career, not just to write and perform as a recording artist. To that end, Peetra organized a concert in Sheriff Hawk’s jurisdiction and thus he became totally enmeshed in the security measures. Unfortunately, someone was apparently stalking Katina, and an incident was precipitated in which the adoring fans got out of control. In trying to protect his charge, Hawk was seriously injured. He was also chagrinned at his apparent failure to keep Katina safe, although in fact the situation was beyond his control. The plot develops from there, with the sheriff going to Taos with Katina to try to complete his “protection” commitment by apprehending the stalker who is, it seems, was involved in the sequence of events that led the death of Katina’s mother.

Like Ledford’s other novels, this story is complex, convoluted, and to a very real extent depends on the spiritual and psychological nuances of Native American culture as it interacts with mainstream society. Character development is highly sensitive, and the depth of suspense and background atmosphere keeps the reader thoroughly engaged.
Profile Image for Sharikae.
42 reviews
July 16, 2018
Snare

I loved this book. I lived in New Mexico and loved reading about Taos pueblo and its people. There was a lot going on in this book. I wanted to hear Kap sing and listen to the drums.
171 reviews
June 16, 2024
I liked the Native American characters a lot as well as the west coast locations in addition to the NC base for these books. The Native American connection to nature, ancestry and spirituality was important to the plot and something I wish more of us would avail ourselves of. The theme of abuse and its effects on children was important to how some of the characters acted and reacted in the story.
Profile Image for Cici.
279 reviews24 followers
June 6, 2011
I am loving this book right now. I love how the main character, Katina thinks and talks, she is very wise and interesting.
I absolutely love learning about the Taos Pueblo Indians. I love reading about the beautiful reservation, how the indians live and think, the spiritual and symbolism, what they eat and how they dress. I love it all!
When I was in elementary school I went to a few classes that taught us about our Indian heritage, I am part Cherokee. It was so interesting and cool to me, learning of the different tribes and life styles, I was even fascinated with the cool indian names. I loved putting on the beautiful headdress of feathers, and the hand-stitched leather moccasins and the beautiful beading, which I had to smile when Aunt Sylvie made the intentional mistake bead in each of her bead work, because we learned that they also did that to symbolize that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes.. so as a little girl whenever I would make bracelets or necklaces with beads or just thread, I would always add in my own mistake or just leave the mistake I already made.
This book is really taking me back and I'm really enjoying it.
I love when an author can take you to a place you've never been to before and you feel like you're right there, experiencing it with them.
Great job so far, Deborah. Thank you for sharing this book with us.
Sadly, I'm coming close to the end of this book.

I finished reading this book the night I wrote my last review and I really enjoyed this book. I would love to read another Katina Salvo book, I found her story and her people so very interesting and she is such a strong character.

Spoiler Alert********

Taima ended up not being such a bad guy and the end and I hoped he didn't get caught and maybe they could've built some kind of relationship, I mean maybe he wasn't really going to kill her anyways, maybe just threaten her because of the whole drum thing.. yeah sure it was very aggressive and unrealistic for threats, but he kinda like that anyways(wishful thinking)
I feel so sad for Katina, I wanted her to feel like she belonged somewhere. I really wanted her to stay with her people and I wanted a love story with her and Jacob. I hoped that Petra and her daughter made up. So... I think we definetly need another Katina book!!! :)

Profile Image for Cathy Cole.
2,242 reviews60 followers
April 26, 2011
First Line: Katina's eyes locked on the straight-back chair she had wedged under the doorknob.

Katina Salvo has come a long way from her abusive childhood. The reclusive Native American singer/songwriter's music sells very well, even though she's never made a personal appearance or given a concert. Her manager feels that it's time to change all that and have Katina move another step up the ladder, so a concert is booked in a small North Carolina theater where Deputy Steven Hawk will be put in charge of the singer's security.

Something goes terribly wrong at the concert, and Katina and Hawk are attacked. No one is quite sure of the assailant's identity, so the singer and the deputy regroup in familiar territory for Katina: the Taos Pueblo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. Hawk is determined to find this mysterious attacker before he can get close enough to kill the talented young woman.

Snare was so good that I'm going to have to get my hands on a copy of Ledford's first book in the series, Staccato. The pacing kept the story moving at a fast clip, and the plot-- after giving readers two viable suspects-- kept me trying to guess the right one. (I guessed wrong, by the way.)

Ledford has created a compelling story where the main characters are all members of minorities. (I love it when the Lone Ranger doesn't show up and the day is saved anyway.) She's also very adept at adding small details that can pack a big emotional punch-- as when the very young Katina is hiding in her bedroom and marking time on her Hello Kitty alarm clock.

The scenes revolving around the concert-- both doublechecking the security set-up, the concert itself, and the near-riot and attack-- moved lightning quick, were frightening, and felt almost as though I were watching a video. Everything was crystal clear in my mind's eye. Also much appreciated were the details of Taos Pueblo life and culture during the scenes taking place in New Mexico.

All in all, I found Snare to be a very good read, and I'm hoping Deputy Hawk has a good long run of many books to come.
Profile Image for Romancing the Book.
4,420 reviews221 followers
April 28, 2011
Review by Judy Nickles

Deborah J. Ledford’s second novel, Snare (Second Wind Publishing), qualifies as a bonafide thriller. The author has mastered the art of changing the POVs of her well-developed characters from chapter to chapter without losing the thread of their individual importance within the story. While many writing gurus caution against multiple points of view, Ms Ledford has used them skillfully.

Mingling the potential victim’s American Indian heritage with her current world adds not only to the suspense but the general interest as well. While I enjoyed the somewhat lengthy descriptive passages scattered throughout the book, I felt they slowed the action somewhat. That said, I think removing them altogether would take away from the overall mood of the story.

Native American pop singer/songwriter Katina Salvo’s career is about to take off. There’s one problem: someone wants to kill her. Katina and her bodyguard, Deputy Steven Hawk, are attacked during an altercation at her first live concert. Could the assailant be a mysterious, dangerous man from her youth? Or her estranged father recently released from prison for killing her mother?

The action spins from California to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and finally to the Taos Pueblo Indian Reservation in New Mexico in a relatively short amount of time. The author demonstrates an excellent brevity in the telling of Katina’s back story, which sets the stage for the chilling events to come. When the resolution careens onto the pages, with stunning, hard-hitting suddenness, it is both surprising and satisfying.

Snare is Book Two of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela Thriller Series. Fans of the genre will want to pick up Book One, Staccato, and watch for Book Three to come.

http://www.romancing-the-book.com/201...
Profile Image for Rebecca Mabe.
44 reviews2 followers
May 11, 2011
Read this as a monthly bookclub read. Was pleasantly surprised by it. Let me start off by saying that I'm not a mystery/thriller reader. It's just not my genre. So I was reluctant to read this one because it was advertised as such and the cover art seemed graphic. It was not terribly graphic and I found myself really liking Deputy Hawk and his plucky g/f Inola who as I understand it are the figures that appear in this set of novels. The alternating POV was well crafted and helped move the story along; particularly since it had quite a bit of expositional backstory. That being said I was not a big Katina Salvo fan and this made reading this difficult. She alternated from being frail and childlike, to being vaguely self-centered, to embodying the wisdom of her people. Lots of positive development but I just didn't like her. Maybe it was her passes at deputy Hawk that alienated her for me...who knows. Overall while not my favorite (because of the genre not the quality) I would recommend it to others.
Profile Image for Amy.
20 reviews
May 7, 2011
I was enjoying the story until the description of Lincoln, Nebraska that included "weaving among the tightly packed crowd" on the sidewalk and "a row of street vendors of varying ethnicities". I guess Ms. Ledford has never been to Lincoln, Nebraska. I had trouble taking the story seriously after paragraph three, although the description of the Pueblo reservation was beautiful. I hope for the sake of the Pueblo people that it's actually accurate.
Profile Image for Cindy Howell.
2 reviews
March 13, 2013
Another good read from Deborah J. Ledford! I enjoyed the contrast between the two settings - the mountains of western NC that are so familiar to me and northern New Mexico that I have never visited. Once again, the book had a great story line and the suspense had me opening the book every time I had a spare minute. If you enjoy a good mystery, I definitely recommend Snare.
Profile Image for Steven.
649 reviews54 followers
June 16, 2011
Snare was a very fast paced, fun read. It had solid characters that did things I wasn't expecting. Now I can only hope that there might be another Steven Hawk title in the future.
3 reviews
February 5, 2013
Great story. Good plot. Rather slow moving at times, but plenty of well researched detail.
Profile Image for Arthur.
Author 10 books22 followers
May 2, 2016
I'm a fan of Deb Ledford and have read her previous novels. This was is up there as her best yet.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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