Poker Face

Dela Alvaro is a disabled veteran who grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. When an IED in Iraq ended her military career, she came home and landed a job in security at the Indian run casino on the reservation. Just a few months into her trial bases of head of security, a body of a fellow employee is found in a laundry shoot. If Dela with the help of FBI agent Quinn doesn’t solve the murder quickly she could loose her promotion. We first met Dela and Agent Quinn in Stolen Butterfly: Book Seven in the Gabriel Hawke series. I found Dela to be a strong intelligence interesting character. Agent Quinn is likable and makes a great partner for Dela. The mystery is well crafted with plenty of misdirections to keep the reader in suspense until the big reveal. I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator, Ann M. Thompson does a fabulous job. She really captured Dela voice bringing her to life. She made the listening experience enjoyable. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

reservation, casino, ex-military, security-staff, fbi, family, family-dynamics, friendship, friction, murder, murder-investigation, multicultural, veterans, veterinarian, dog, amputee***** The first dead body was found in the clothes chute for the Spotted Pony Casino. For temporary head of security, Dela Alvaro, who lived all of her civilian life on the reservation despite not being of the tribe this is a major problem. Add in an intrusive FBI agent she remains angry with over choices he made regarding a prisoner while they were both active duty US army, the threat this poses to her acceptance as Head of Security, her devotion to duty, her Helicopter Mother (Dela is 38!), and the trials inherent in wearing a weight-bearing prosthesis. The story moves along swiftly and with the ever-present twists and red herrings. The characters and their issues are very real, which will make this new series just as interesting as Ms Jager's others. I loved it! Is it a spoiler if I say that the veteran with a lower limb amputation winds up with a dog who has to have a back limb amputated? I have the audio, but I am disappointed with the narrator's bland performance since she was so good with the Shandra Higheagle series.