Father John O'Malley, assigned to the mission at Wind River Reservation, is called to bless the body of an American Indian woman, discovered decades after her murder. The skeleton doesn't leave many clues other than the fact the woman was brutally beaten and then shot in the head decades ago. Forensic evidence narrows the date of the murder to 1973, a volatile period for American Indians. The American Indian Movement, AIM, had drawn FBI attention and the leaders were scattered and in hiding on various reservations, including Wind River.

Lawyer Vicky Holden feels drawn to this nameless Indian woman. A former battered wife, Vicky knows that this victim could have been her or any one of other American Indian women in troubled relationships. Although it's too late to save this woman, it's not too late for justice.

Father John and Vicky both work to assist the sheriff's office to solve this cold case. American Indians aren't likely to share information with outsiders, but they may talk with Father John, the mission priest, or Vicky, one of their own turned lawyer. People are reluctant to talk as it becomes apparent that the killer is still among them. Can Father John or Vicky glean enough tidbits to piece together the solution to this long-held mystery? And with the killer on the hunt again, will they survive to tell what they've learned?

Interspersed with Vicky's and Father John's POVs are vignettes from the victim. Readers will relive her final desperate days as she tries to stop the tide turning against her. One can't help but hope that she will be successful, even as we know she won't be.

Ms. Coel brings to life both modern-day and the turbulent '70s reservation life. Readers will be drawn to the plight of the Native Americans both then and now. Reservation life isn't easy and the grim realities are clearly shown. But despite these hardships, hope still shines. THE GIRL WITH BRAIDED HAIR will stay with you long after reading the final line.

Book Summary

In 1973, Liz Plenty Horses was accused of betraying the militant American Indian Movement, known as AIM, to the FBI after the death of one of their members. She went into hiding with her baby daughter, never to be seen again.

Now, a skeleton with a bullet hole in the back of the skull has been discovered at the bottom of a ravine on the Wind River Reservation. The body was that of a woman who was murdered sometime in 1973. With the police reluctant to investigate, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley must unravel the truth-even if it incites the malice of a long-dormant killer.