Wild Penance

WILD PENANCE, the fourth release in the WILD MYSTERY Series by Sandi Ault is a thrilling prequel to the other titles in the seriesWelcome to the WILD MYSTERY Series and its sleuth, Jamaica Wild, a BLM Agent who is part Jack Reacher and part Lara Croft. WILD PENANCE, the fourth in this award-winning, critically acclaimed series opens with a dark and diabolical scene: a man, tied to a cross, his loincloth catching in the wind as he plummets down into the Rio Grande Gorge to his death....
More Description

WILD PENANCE, the fourth release in the WILD MYSTERY Series by Sandi Ault is a thrilling prequel to the other titles in the seriesWelcome to the WILD MYSTERY Series and its sleuth, Jamaica Wild, a BLM Agent who is part Jack Reacher and part Lara Croft. WILD PENANCE, the fourth in this award-winning, critically acclaimed series opens with a dark and diabolical scene: a man, tied to a cross, his loincloth catching in the wind as he plummets down into the Rio Grande Gorge to his death. That is, if he wasn't dead already. Rough-and-ready Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild, who witnesses the sinister event, sets out to determine whether a secret society with rituals as chilling as the desert night air might have been at the heart of this. Ever since she learned about Los Penitentes, a clandestine and ancient religious group that reenacts Jesus' crucifixion and practices excessive penance, Jamaica's been fascinated, putting together a book of sketchings and research. And this death in the Gorge seems to fit with everything she has learned. But a haunted old priest warns Jamaica to put down her pencil. Her boss wouldn't mind if she kept her nose out of things, either. But too many strange things are happening for Jamaica to pay any mind. When someone makes an attempt on her life, Jamaica sets out on a fact-finding mission that could very well send her, like the crucified man, over the edgeAult sets a spine-tingling pace that keeps the reader on the edge as well, as a race to the climax causes Jamaica to evaluate what is satanic and what is sacred."A good story well told from start to finish."-Anne Hillerman"Verdict: Ault's love of the outdoors and her respect for American Indian culture are evident in her vivid descriptions of the culture, people, and northern New Mexico landscape. Nevada Barr fans and mystery aficionados still mourning the late Tony Hillerman will snap this one up as well as other titles in the Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning series. Enthusiastically recommended."-Library Journal"