Manny Tanno's much needed vacation is abruptly ended when he witnesses a murder during a reenactment at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The victim was set to auction off the journal of Levi Star Dancer, a Crow scout for General Custer that would expose the secrets of two of the most influential Native American families in the area. Bodies pile up as Manny struggles to find the secret worth killing for, but digging into the past only creates more questions. He must work fast to solve this case before those closest to him are caught in the crosshairs.

DEATH ON THE GREASY GRASS by C.M. Wendelboe is the third book featuring my favorite FBI agent Manny Tanno. Manny's still driving badly, still battling his weight and diabetes, and still struggling to accept that he sometimes gets visions. Manny's struggle to mesh his modern-world training as an FBI agent with his visions from Wakan Tanka perfectly embodies the struggle to embrace the traditions of culture in this modern world. This interweaving of past and present is what really sets C.M. Wendelboe apart in the mystery genre. History is vital and alive in his stories, and it intertwines with the present to create one seamless story of betrayal.

Family obligations and ties remain a central theme in DEATH ON THE GREASY GRASS. I love how the complexity of family is portrayed and explored. Family isn't always those you were born with, but it can be those you find and keep. Manny and his best friend Willie are family and with that connection comes Willie's prickly fiancée Doreen who really doesn't like Manny. These connections to the family you create are echoed even in secondary character. The victim created his own little family with a drunken vet and a meth addict. It's these connections that wind the plot tighter and tighter because everyone becomes a suspect as they try to protect or hide from those closest to them.

DEATH ON THE GREASY GRASS is a perfectly balanced mystery filled with twists and betrayal that will leave you ready for more. I can't wait for the next Manny Tanno in the Spirit Road Mystery series. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.

Book Summary

FBI agent Manny Tanno is taking some much needed R and R at the site of the Battle of Little Big Horn. But when a death on the reservation cuts his vacation short, he learns that the secrets of the past have a way of stirring up trouble in the present. As a scout for the legendary General Custer, Crow tribe member Levi Star Dancer kept a journal chronicling his exploits from the Battle of the Greasy Grass onward. Now, the missing journal has been found and the descendents of those mentioned in the account, including Levi’s own, want to keep their family secrets hidden at all costs… Manny’s trip to the Crow Agency Reservation turns out to be ill timed when a reenactor of the Battle of Little Big Horn is killed right in front of him. It turns out the victim was the one who found Levi Star Dancer’s famed diary and was planning on selling it to the highest bidder. And while the dead body is hard to miss, the coveted book is nowhere to be found. Now, Manny has to watch his back while searching for a murderer and the missing journal, because this slippery killer will do anything to make sure the past stays buried.

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