For Nora Abbot, Flagstaff's would-be proprietor of a ski resort, a court win allowing her to generate snow on Kachina Mountain is great news. Not everyone agrees. Within minutes someone tries to stab her, environmental protestors gather and an elderly Native man gifts her kachina dolls for the sacred mountain. Given that the resort was her husband Scott's idea, however, it seems strange that now he bows out and says he wants nothing to do with it. Unfortunate accidents occur, to Nora, her equipment and the people around her, and some of the other characters play against type so she doesn't know who to trust.

Barret McCreary has his own reasons for wanting the ski resort to go ahead, and Scott's protests prove his undoing as McCreary Energy puts profit before health. Barret tells his half-Hopi daughter that the Hopi live a simple spiritual life to control their children, stop progress and continue a life of poverty and poor medical care. There are two sides to every story, but Barret, who has been exploiting uranium, water and coal, isn't prepared to listen.

Ever since reading Peter Matthiessen's 'Indian Country' I have been aware of the casual exploitation of the South- West deserts and the dangerous nature of mine tailings and water pollution. The pressure for yet more power is immense and modern methods are used intensely to extract fuels, between coal, radioactive elements and fracking. TAINTED MOUNTAIN looks at striking a balance and shows that big money can ride roughshod over lives. Nora is certain that bringing more water to the drought-stricken mountain must be a good thing, and the runoff will seep back into the water table. The moisture would increase biodiversity and jobs would be provided. But the people on the Hopi and Navaho reservations like their mountain the way it is. Through the ideals of all the characters we see the sides of a modern conflict, one in which, as always, the balance of power lies with the white exploiters.

Shannon Baker provides a well-researched thriller in which we can explore the arid lands of Arizona, its scenery, peoples and geology. Herself a resident of Flagstaff, she describes the beauty of a desert sunrise or the colours of the ephemeral flowers to bring her tale to life. TAINTED MOUNTAIN will offer a good read for anyone with interest in the fragile environment, Native cultures or just in a thriller set in an interesting location.

Book Summary

All Nora Abbott wants to do is make enough snow to save her ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern Arizona. But now her husband has been murdered; angry protestors have occupied her mountain; her overbearing mother has blown into town; and energy tycoon Barrett McCreary has launched what might just be a hostile takeover of the cashstrapped resort. To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe claims making snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth, so Nora turns to the ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman for help. The only trouble is that Huntsman seems to be playing from both sides of the deck. And when a fortune in uranium claims are at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy