NOTCHES

Gabriel Du PrÇ, natural man of Montana, a member of the far- ranging Metis Indian tribe and a gifted fiddler, is sorely aggrieved that killers are making the trailways unsafe for women and children. Informally deputized by the local weak-stomached sheriff—a friend of his—Du PrÇ quickly becomes privy to a pattern of highway-related rape/killings that go back many years and involve more than one perpetrator. In his fourth outing (Wolf, No Wolf, p. 174, etc.), the earthy Du PrÇ again manhunts in a way that puts to good use his creator's considerable knowledge of native lore. While remaining true to his tribal ethos, the deputy forms extraprofessional bonds with those who share his outrage: the Blackfoot FBI man Harvey ``Weasel Fat'' Wallace; his profane, well- built female colleague Agent Pideron (almost one of the boys); and the tattooed trucker and sometime outlaw Rolly Challis, who becomes a friend after rescuing the runaway daughter of Du PrÇ's fiery lover, Madeleine. Despite warnings from his government-employee friends not to get involved, Du PrÇ responds to Madeleine's exhortations and weathers both drinking bouts and dream quests, achieving a rough justice in the process. The local color is fairly garish, but Bowen writes a provocative, involving adventure.