DEATH AT LA OSA

In Matthews’ novel, a mysterious death leads to a murder investigation in rural New Mexico.

When a man is found dead on the Tulona Reservation near Taos, New Mexico, not much is known about the victim. The deceased, who will come to be known as Robert Red Feather, has no identification in his pockets. He was killed by a puncture wound to the chest, and it appears Robert’s body was moved after he died. The only distinctive thing on his person is a turquoise belt buckle from an “unknown mining source.” Fine work with turquoise is a skill few possess; if the buckle can be traced back to one artist, it may offer some clues. The discovery of Robert’s body leads to many questions: Why has no one from Robert’s family reported him missing, and what message was being sent by leaving the body on the reservation? (There is even a rumor that witches were involved.) With the crime scene being located on an Indigenous reservation, jurisdiction for the investigation is slightly complicated. The FBI gets involved, but the main detective work falls to tribal policeman Richard Tafoya, who is determined to get to the bottom of this strange case. The fictional Tulona Reservation and town of Ojo Verde are painstakingly constructed by the author; access into the Tulona Reservation is highly restricted during ceremonial times, for example, and a Catholic church includes familiar symbols including Mary and Christ, but also wildlife forms like deer and rabbit. The local Navajo have taboos about touching dead bodies and even the speaking of a dead person’s name. All of this attention to detail brings the reader fully into the novel’s world, even if not every aspect is thrilling—when “the padre at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption walk[s] to the lectern in front of a small congregation for early morning Mass at seven o’clock,” his homily is no more galvanizing than his introduction. But the mystery surrounding Robert and the peculiar circumstances of his death remain compelling.

The richly imagined setting of this police procedural will keep readers engaged.