Death Where the Bad Rocks Live

Spirit Road Mystery #2

by C.M. Wendelboe

FBI agent Manny Tanno thought he had left his tribe and the Pine Ridge Reservation behind him years ago. But now with a cold case unearthed in the hot plains sun, he knows that the past never really goes away.
In Badlands National Park, there is a desolate area the Lakota refer to as the Stronghold. General Custer called it hell on earth. During World War II, the Army Air Corps used it as a bombing range. At the end of the war, many unexploded ordnances were swallowed up in its sweltering sands. But that's not all that's buried there...
Sixty-five years after the war, the Sioux tribe has contracted an ordnance removal company to defuse any remaining ammunition in the Stronghold. When the company finds a human arm near a live bomb, Tanno and the Tribal police are called to investigate. As the body is exhumed, two more are discovered. The remains are close together, but the murders were decades apart-and the story behind them is about to blow up...

Genres: Mystery, Westerns, Indigenous, Fiction

326 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Curt M. Wendelboe entered the law enforcement profession when he was discharged from the Marines as the Vietnam war was winding down.
In the 1970s he worked in South Dakota towns bordering three Indian reservations. He spent the initial one-third of his career working the streets as well as assisting federal and tribal law enforcement agencies embroiled in conflicts with American Indian Movement activists in other towns and on other reservations, including Pine Ridge.
He moved to Gillette, Wyoming, and found his niche, where he remained a sheriff’s deputy for over twenty-five years. In addition, he was a longtime firearms instructor with his agency, as well as an instructor at the local college and within the community.
He had served successful stints as police chief, tactical team member, and other supervisory roles for several agencies during his thirty-eight year career in law enforcement—yet he always has felt most proud of “working the street.” He was a patrol supervisor when he retired to pursue his vocation as a writer.
Wendelboe now revisits the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations for research and recreation. He lives within a morning’s drive of Devils Tower, Bear Butte, the Black Hills, and the Badlands—“tourist sites” that are sacred places to the Lakota people. The distance of geography and expanse of time has accorded him an appreciation of their culture and spirituality. His developing awareness of their diverse perspectives on historical and contemporary issues is reflected in the themes of his Spirit Road Mysteries.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hot mess. While I enjoyed the story and the setting very much, I wouldn’t read another by this author. While I ordinarily don’t get hugely annoyed by overt sexism—authors choice—this book is ridiculously out of tune. All female characters are ravenously over sexed, or preposterously bad. The books hit the tune of old men’s pulp magazines.

I enjoyed the storyline and liked the in depth information on the long standing strained relations between wasicu (whites) and the natives. The landscape is terrific. Where was editorial advice when it was needed? I guess there was a big rush to cash in on the success of the Tony Hillerman books. Unlike Hillerman who never made a false step, this book wallows in the “gumbo”. Afraid I won’t spend the time reading another Wendleboe.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this one, mostly. A 'Spirit Road' mystery, I have not yet read the first, but will. Had a good story line, you liked the characters, most of them. It was a little confusing at the beginning, differentiating between the 2 main guys, but that got straightened out.
Te one thing that stood out oddly was the author did not seem to think much of womwn. There's one old mean woman, the other 3, well. Two you only really read about, they really aren't characters, but they seem to exist only to demand sex from the 2 main men. The other is a spoiled brat who keeps making a play for one of the guys.
But, I think the author has a good start on a good series, just needs a decent female role, and a little more practice in writing that stays understable.

[Fran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would be something to fill in the void left by the Tony Hillerman Navajjo Tribal mysteries. It was not.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into it. Not up to the Hillerman (father and daughter) books.

[Donald Paulsrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very entertaining book. Once again Special Agent Manny Tano is on the case. This case involves a double homicide for over 25 years ago and how it is connected to some recent homicides. The main suspect is a Federal Judge who is about to be starting hearings to become the first Native American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The cast of original characters from the 1st novel in this series is back and they are in fine form. I still get a little aggravated at how often he repeats himself in his books (Manny reaching for cigarettes that he no longer smokes, people "chin pointing" to things, etc....) I have ordered the 3rd and 4th book in this series and I am looking forward to reading them. I enjoy how he ties in history with modern times. Having been in the Badlands of South Dakota makes it a little more interesting as I have personal knowledge of how rugged that area is and how beautiful it is. You don't need to read the 1st book in this series in order to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend reading both!

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another FBI Agent Manny Tanno case. This centers around three dead bodies buried in the Stronghold, an area formerly used as a bombing range during World War II. When an ordnance removal company discovers human remains in a car, Manny and the Tribal Police are called in.

I really liked this book, I like the character development, the snarky humor, and the presentation of the struggle between keeping the tribal culture and leaving it behind. I'm looking forward to reading more from Mr. Wendelboe.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book! Took forever only because I was busy with those pesky customers! Manny Tanno is now assigned to theRapid City FBI task force. More problems arise in Pine Ridge so he heads back to work with Willie and Lumpy. A couple new characters are introduced; one, Pee Pee, is hilarious. Weneboe’s writing reminds me a lot of Craig Johnson’s with his undertones of dry humor. One more left in the trilogy that I will get to sometime this summer.

[Harmon Ford, Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

l thought the book started kind of slow, as many books do. But when it took off, it was a page turner.
The author may have used a little poetic license here and there, they all do. Nonetheless, l was guessing until the very end. GOOD BOOK FOR MYSTERY LOVERS

[Susan Aguirre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. I had figured out what was going on but it still held my interest. I just wish the characters didn't disrespect each other so much. I will keep reading the series. Wendelboe is a good writer.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get through this book due to moving and falling asleep on it....then having to reread the chapters I fell asleep on. This is the best book I have read in 2024. Also the only book so far this year.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciated reading about the Lakota Oglala Sioux culture. Found the story a bit convoluted, but still held my interest.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as first book in series, but liked it.

[Claire Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I learned about Native American spirituality and hiw sometimes old sayings actually do pertain to life in the real world.

[Laskaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Loved the characters in this story. The descriptions of the bad lands were extraordinary. Truly a good story of the people .

[Steve Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting facts about Indian society. Too many references to the first book in the series, which I haven't read.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book picks up with FBI agent Manny Tanno in the middle of the South Dakota Badlands examining three recently discovered bodies found in an old 1940's car long forgotten. The area had once been used for bombing practice in the '40s and it looks like the bodies are from back then. Initially it looks like the car wondered on the range and a bombing run killer the occupants. But one of the three bodies is obviously a recent addition to the car, apparently from the late '60s. It looks more and more like murder, and that means Manny gets the investigation of this very cold case. Manny quickly finds that he has a political powder keg since the most recent body was college roommates with the newly nominated Supreme Court Justice - Judge High Elk, who doesn't want anything standing in his way for the nomination, especially a cold case. Then more murders occur to people connected to the case.

Several chapters take you back to the 1940s as you follow Moses Ten Bears, a spiritual leader and renowned painter, through the events that lead up to his death in a car on the bombing range. Those chapters break up the flow a little bit, but it makes for an interesting look into the what made Moses so mythical for the tribe. The reader also sees Manny and tribal cop Willie Looks Twice struggle with some personal issues. Manny's childhood menace is still chief of the Tribal police, and still taunts Manny.

The characters are all nicely drawn. We get to know the tribal medical examiner Precious, nicknamed Pee Pee, whose biggest pleasure in life is outbidding the Chief for Elvis memorabilia. The Chief of Tribal Police also hires his niece as a tribal cop, who brings her own drama into the picture.

The setting is the eerie and otherworldly Badlands for most of the story. There is one particular stand-out scene where Manny is playing a deadly cat and mouse dance, in the middle of a storm, in the dark, and in the Badlands. It will stay in my memory for a while I think.

The plot takes a winding route as the investigation proceeds. It has some spots that slow a little too much, and the Chief's niece is a distracting side-story. I didn't like that particular character, and her purpose wasn't clear even upon completion. The confrontation with the killer had some tense moments while being believable.

As the second entry in the series, it is setting a high bar with intricate story telling. FBI Agent Manny Tanno makes a fine troubled hero dealing with life at 40 something as he is discovering his culture and himself.

Rating:
Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Series: 2nd in Spirit Road Mysteries

Sensuality: smattering of crude references and language

Main Characters: Lakota FBI Special Agent Manny Tanno

Setting: Modern day, Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Mysteries and My Musings Book Blog
http://mysterysuspence.blogspot.com

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author C.M. Wendelboe tells his story with two different timelines: one present-day timeline with Manny trying to find out what happened so many years ago, and the second that follows Moses Ten Bears from the 1920s through to the 1940s. In many ways I found Moses's timeline to be the more interesting as it shows how life was on the reservation during that twenty year period, and how two families became entangled in lies, secrets, and the prejudices of the day.

Manny Tanno is a dogged investigator who has flashes of intuition-- but hopefully not when he's behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. (His lack of driving skills is legendary.) Raised by his uncle, he's only now forming a relationship with his older brother, who as an AIM (American Indian Movement) enforcer served time in prison for murder. Manny went to school and left the reservation to become the first Lakota FBI agent. He had no intentions of ever returning until he was sent back by his superiors in Washington, DC. There is a sharp division between his youth and his adulthood, and Manny suffers a bit of an identity crisis that can even be seen in his choice of music: "...polka, with its heavy beat so much like traditional powwow music, without causing Manny to commit to being a Lakota through and through."

Wendelboe's main character is backed by a strong supporting cast. Willie, the young man Manny is trying to train as the tribal investigator is having emotional problems as a result of events that took place in the first book in the series. (No, you don't have to read it to understand what's going on.) Then there's the running eBay fight for Elvis memorabilia between the reservation's CSI guy, Pee Pee, and the acting tribal chief of police, Lumpy Looks Twice. This brings much needed levity to the book. Memorable characters appear throughout the book, including Alexander Hamilton High Elk, who's been nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court, Manny's brother Reuben, and a little girl named Morissa Friend of All. My least favorite was Lumpy's niece Janet, a stereotypical makeup laden shopaholic that Lumpy put on the force in an attempt to straighten out Willie. All Janet seems to do is scream, throw up, shop, put on makeup, pout, rub against Willie, and find inventive new ways for the buttons to come undone on her shirt. Extremely tiresome!

Despite Janet, this is a strong book filled with people who are fighting for some kind of future while being grounded by their past. What they decide to do with those bad rocks of the title will have an impact on their future. Although there is a much stronger Native American element to Wendelboe's books-- obviously because most of the characters are Native American-- I find them enjoyable reading and complimentary to Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire novels.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publishers Synopsos: FBI agent MAnny Tanno thought he had left his tribe and the Pine Ridge Reservation behind him 10 years ago. But now, with a cold case unearthed in the hot desert sun, he knows that the past never really goes away. This story held my interest through the entire book. I kept thinking I had maybe figured it out, bu I am not as good an observer as Lakota Manny Tanno. The language and the tenor of this story is so familiar to me. Many of the phrases that the characters used are ones I heard my Dad use. Not that he was Lakota, but he was of the era. We moved to Rapid City when I was a baby in 1946. So much of the time of this story was the time I spent in Rapid City. My father employed Lakota in his construction business, and we spend summers in the Badlands and the Black Hills when relatives would come to visit.

I had a tiny problem with some of the editing of this story. I am no English major but I did find several grammatical errors. It did not take away from the story or the mystery, just irritated me.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Wendelboe that I've read and it is the second in his series featuring FBI agent Manny Tanno. The action takes place in the Badlands of South Dakota and in particular a place the Lakota call "The Stronghold". General George Armstrong Custer called it hell on earth and the way Wendelboe describes it, the reader feels the sweltering heat and is smothered by the sense of isolation. We also get a sense of the neglect and despair felt by those on the Pine Ridge reservation Wendelboe does a great job combining the mystery in his story with history about the area and the social/political/environmental issues impacting the Lakota today. I would recommend this series to readers who like Tony Hillerman and Margaret Coel.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want all the squalor and problems of reservation living for contemporary Native Americans, this book expresses it well--along with the tarnished idealism of those who try to serve the people there. The protagonist sleuths are FBI and tribal police who solve the crimes with compassion and grace for victims and perpetrators. The prevailing attitudes toward sex, along with Hemingway-esque sexually slimy guy kidding and talk, mar this novel for sensitive readers.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’ve found another series worth reading! This is #2. If you are a fan of CJ Box or Craig Johnson, find these books. Hoping someone (HBO?) picks up the rights soon.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the setting (South Dakota), and the main characters( who are by and large members of the Lakota tribe) the plot is predictable. A car found on sacred ground of the Lakota tribe contains the corpses of three individuals, two of which date back to the 1940's, the third is more recent. The identities are established, but the reason for their deaths takes a longer time to unravel.

[Deshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong, atmospheric mystery with imperfect characters which make them all that much more likeable. There are several intermingled story lines from different time periods. If you miss Tony Hillerman and his mysteries set in Navajoland, try this series set in South Dakota. This is the second book of the series.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written mystery set in the Badlands with a predominant native american cast. I picked this up as I am a big fan of Craig Johnson and his Longmire series.
The difference here is that this novel is told strictly through the Native American viewpoint and not only how they interact with other races but one another.
I well written and rounded mystery.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have found Badlands National Park a most interesting place to visit; this is the setting for this book. I struggled at first but stayed with it and do not regret that I finished the book. I value the Lakota perspective that is an important part of the story. I will read read more of the Spirit Road Mysteries written by Mr. Wendelboe.

[Randy Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the Spirit Road Mystery series. I enjoyed it as much as the first and will take the time to read the third book in the series after I find a good horror book with a lot of action in it. While these books are good reads they just won't get the hairs on your neck up. I need something that makes the blood pump a little faster once in a while.

[Harold Hubbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series and well worth the wait.The settings and people involved are a step above the first and are vividly rendered.I will continue to read this authors work.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good mystery centered in a well-described location with accurately described people. Good plot, fun to read.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting better!

[Martie]

I liked it and am looking forward to the third book