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Margaret Coel
Margaret Coel is the New York Times best-selling author of
the acclaimed Wind River mystery series set among the
Arapahos on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation and featuring
Jesuit priest Father John O'Malley and Arapaho attorney
Vicky Holden.
She is a native Coloradan who hails from a pioneer Colorado
family. The West — the mountains, plains, and vast spaces —
are in her bones, she says. She moved out of Colorado on
two occasions — to attend Marquette University and to spend
a couple of years in Alaska. Both times she couldn't wait
to get back.
Meet Father John O’Malley, history scholar and
recovering
alcoholic, and Vicky Holden, who after ten years in the
outside world, has returned to the Arapaho Indian
reservation in Wyoming where she was born, to help her
people, and solve crimes.
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Margaret Coel Interview How did you become acquainted with the Arapaho people
on the Wind River Reservation? Coel: The Arapahos are very private people with
reason to distrust outsiders. You can't just show up on the
reservation and say, "Hi, I'm here to write about you." You
must gain their trust, which takes time. I first went to
Wind River when I was writing Chief Left Hand, Southern
Arapaho, a biography of one of the great Arapaho
leaders. Another historian accompanied me and introduced me
to her Arapaho friends. Because she vouched for me, in a
sense, and because they trusted her, they were willing to
talk to me. Also, many Arapahos have told me how much they
liked Chief Left Hand. The book was a big help in
gaining their trust. How did they like The Eagle Catcher? Coel: Well enough to hold a celebration for me on
the reservation. They wanted it to take place at Blue Sky
Hall, since the hall appears in the novel. We had a feast,
music, dancers and a master of ceremonies. It was great! Can you give us another memorable experience on the
reservation? Coel: I would say all of my experiences on the
reservation have been memorable. But one stands out. I was
visiting with some Arapaho friends outdoors when a golden
eagle began circling us. One of the women said, "The eagle
is upset because we are telling you about our culture."
That was the end of the conversation. But the next day, the
women came and found me. They had consulted one of the
elders who reminded them that whenever the eagle comes, it
is a good sign. "This white woman," he said, "will write
the truth about our people." Since then, my Arapaho friends
have explained many things that have helped me understand
the Arapaho culture better. I am very grateful to the
eagle. How did your background as a history writer influence
The Eagle Catcher? Coel: It made The Eagle Catcher what it
is: a contemporary mystery grounded in history. I'm
fascinated by the way the past continues to shape the
present--by the way nothing is ever over. The plot revolves
around a kind of fraud routinely practiced against the
Indians when they were moved onto reservations, and the way
in which that fraud affects them today. You were also a journalist. How does your
journalistic background influence the mysteries? Coel: It's probably the journalist part that
makes me write about real issues. The Eagle Catcher
and The Ghost Walker and the forthcoming novel, The Dream
Stalker, all deal with real issues facing Indian people
today and how those issues affect their lives.
Books:
 Watching Eagles Soar, July 2013
The Eagle Catcher, January 2013
 The Perfect Suspect, September 2012
Buffalo Bill's Dead Now, September 2012
The Perfect Suspect, September 2011
The Spider's Web, September 2011
The Spider's Web, September 2010
The Silent Spirit, September 2010
Blood Memory, September 2009
The Silent Spirit, September 2009
The Girl with Braided Hair, September 2008
Blood Memory, September 2008
The Drowning Man, September 2007
The Girl With Braided Hair, September 2007
Eye of the Wolf, September 2006
The Drowning Man, September 2006
Wife Of Moon, September 2005
Eye Of The Wolf, September 2005
Wife of Moon, September 2004
Killing Raven, August 2004
Killing Raven, September 2003
The Shadow Dancer, August 2003
The Thunder Keeper, August 2002
The Spirit Woman, August 2001
The Lost Bird, August 2000
The Story Teller, September 1999
The Dream Stalker, September 1998
The Ghost Walker, September 1997
The Eagle Catcher, September 1996
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