Legend

by Laura Baker

FBI agent Jackson Walker reluctantly heads back to his hometown to solve a string of vicious crimes, the latest victim being a self proclaimed shaman. Ainii Henio becomes the number one suspect for wanting to see the shaman murdered -- he played a major part in the death of her father. From their first meeting, Jackson is taken aback by Ainii's delicate beauty and soothing mannerisms. When Ainii voices her belief that the murders were caused by a shapeshifter -- an evil mystical force, this theory goes against Jackson's instincts and judgement. He soon finds himself fighting the logic of Ainii's vision -- and the overwhelming power of his love for her.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[J. Else · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for the Indigenous aspect as I was impressed with the description. However, its definitely a product of its time.

The male romantic lead, Jackson Walker, is fundamentally too gruff for comfort. While the romance in the story would mostly fit the grumpy-sunshine trope, this guy is way too grumpy. I didn't see any aspects which Ainii would fall in love with. I also could not suspend my disbelief when the romantic leads had sex in a sweat lodge used by the killer, who could return to that sweat lodge at any time?! What???

Ainii Henio is a good main character, but I would have liked for her and her community to have more chapters. I didn't need the FBI agent as his "special skill" seemed to work mostly when it was convenient. Ainii's brother seemed to be thrown in there a bit sloppily. By the end, it didn't feel well tied up.

Again, this was written in the 1990s, so the characters are definitely influenced by that. However, I went into this book wanting to like it and sadly closed it disappointed.

[Linda Carroll-Bradd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author obviously did her research on the myths and legends of the Navajo and peopled her story with characters you ached for.

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Stargazer" & enjoyed it....enjoyed this one, too. Laura Baker does an awesome job in describing the Navajo culture. Since there are no more Tony Hillerman books to read, I'm glad that somebody else is writing about Navajoland. Even though I don't usually read books with "Romance" on the cover, I really liked this one. You can always skip the 2 or 3 pages of the mushy stuff!

[C K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven, Stargazer, Broken in Two and Legend are all great reads with insights into the Native Americans in todays world. This is an author that I have read a lot of and have added her books to my 'keeper' book shelf. Most I have read at least twice and some even more than that.