Redemption  by Deborah J. Ledford

Given the title is Redemption, the story had to contain the theme of redemption. It did, as well as justice. This is an interesting story. It’s not a mystery. We know who the antagonist is from very early on and we know why she is doing what she’s doing. It’s a police procedural set in the Tao Pueblo reservation. Another interesting nugget is that the protagonist is a Taos Pueblo native but is currently working for the Taos County Sheriff’s department. This adds tension to the story and allows the author to explore cultural attitudes and feelings.

The story is centered around four friends who are heroin addicts. They are also native Taos Pueblo and have disappeared. Like I said above, we know where they are. The story’s main protagonist is Eva Duran, a sheriff’s deputy, and best friend of one of the missing women. Kai is the son of Eva’s best friend. And Cruz, a detective with the Taos Pueblo police, is also a close friend of Eva and her best friend. These three try to find the missing women from their community.

Two fascinating aspects jumped out at me. First is the cultural milieu of the Taos Pueblo. Not being overly familiar I can only assume Ms. Ledford is accurate in her depiction.  It’s a great glimpse into a different culture and that alone kept me reading.

The second fascinating aspect is the antagonist. The story is third person multiple point of view. And one of those points of view is the antagonist, Alice. She’s a nurse from Texas with an obsession for everything Taos Pueblo. She feels justified in all she is doing. From her point of view, she is trying to help the four heroin addicts. Even when things go terribly wrong, she justifies her actions. Ms. Ledford does a great job with this unreliable narrator.

The writing is strong and flows well. Nothing jumped out at me as technically inaccurate. Nothing made me stop and pause. The book is more psychological suspense, but there is also suspense built up by the circumstances. A time element that Eva, Kai, and Cruz are not aware of, but the reader is. I can’t say more without giving away too much.

There is some profanity, but not over the top. One sexual scene, again not over the top. Some violence that is necessary for the story and for the characterization.

This is book one of the Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran series. The second in the series will be released  August, 2024. I look forward to reading more. Ms. Ledford also has another series called The Smoky Mountain Inquest Series with four books.

I’ll rank this one seventh of fiction books read this year.

1. Rooms by James L. Rubart
2. The First Lady by Ed Gorman
3. Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. I’ll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
5. Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman
6. Citadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko Kloos
7. Redemption by Deborah J. Ledford
8. Death of a Messenger by Robert McCaw
9. The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold
10. Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald
11. Jake of All Trades by A.T. Mahon
12. Fireplay by Steve P. Vincent
13. Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P. Perlmutter
14. Nowhere Safe by Kate Bold
15. The Bone Key Curse by Mike Scantlebury
16. Run for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

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