New Review for Dispel the Mist

Across the North American continent, most Native American reservations were steeped in poverty until legalized gambling became a growing industry. Marilyn Meredith’s newest book in the Tempe Crabtree mystery series, Dispel the Mist, unfolds in the backdrop of the reservation trying to expand its gambling enterprise with hotel and resort facilities. Lila Quintera, the first female county supervisor, is murdered. There is plenty of intrigue, but is her death the result of her opposition to expansion or to her support of a new facility for mental challenged women or just the tragic outcome of human immorality? Tempe explores all these possibilities with a new authority.

Tempe is asked to work as a detective on the case and for the first time, she is officially involved without having to also work patrol. She gains added dimension formally interviewing witnesses and potential suspects. While Tempe reaches a new level of respect in her job, she also has reached a level of real comfort with her husband, Hutch Hutchison, the pastor of one of the local churches. There is less tension between her Native American beliefs and his Christian ethics. As with any good marriage, they are growing – together.

Marilyn has gone deeper into the exploration of people’s behavior covering the best and the worst that humanity has to offer. Her description of the struggle to establish a home for the mentally challenged is particularly strong, and her depiction of a mentally challenged young woman, Suzy, is poignant and very real.

Dispel the Mist has an exciting and gripping conclusion that brings Native American myth alive with unexpected deus ex machina. Like all good mythology, it has real history and truth at its core. This is a great way to spend a few hours. While the book stands on its own, I recommend that you read the entire series. --Benay Weiss