Redemption

Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran, Book 1

By: Deborah J Ledford

Narrated by: Jennice Ontiveros

From award-winning author Deborah J Ledford comes a thrilling new series featuring a Native American sheriff’s deputy who risks it all to find a friend who’s gone missing.

After four women disappear from the Taos Pueblo reservation, Deputy Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran dives into the case. For her, it’s personal. Among the missing is her best friend, Paloma, a heroin addict who left behind an eighteen-year-old son.

Eva senses a lack of interest from the department as she embarks on the investigation. But their reluctance only fuels her fire. Eva teams up with tribal police officer and longtime friend Cruz “Wolf Song” Romero to tackle a mystery that could both ruin her reputation and threaten her standing in the tribe.

And when the missing women start turning up dead, Eva uncovers clues that take her deeper into the reservation’s protected secrets. As Eva races to find Paloma before it’s too late, she will face several tests of loyalty—to her friend, her culture, and her tribe.

©2023 Deborah J Ledford (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Jennice Ontiveros's leisurely pacing allows room for this audiobook's expertly crafted ambiance to draw listeners into a Taos Pueblo murder mystery.… Ontiveros's performance is soothing when needed and kicks into high gear to amplify the tension and danger as Eva searches for clues to Paloma's disappearance.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Redemption, by Deborah J. Ledford, gets under your skin. Fresh and ferocious Native American deputy Eva ‘Lightning Dance’ Duran never lets up in her quest woven through the Taos Pueblo land. Atmospheric and awash with color, customs, and ancient ways. I loved this.”—Cara Black, New York Times bestselling author

“Redemption is a page-turner! I loved reading about sheriff’s deputy Eva Duran and her battle against dark forces on the reservation. Sharp characters, a great setting, and a plot that keeps you guessing. A riveting thriller that hits hard and keeps you hooked.”—David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Anthony and Thriller Award-winning author of Winter Counts

Good story.

I enjoyed this book. It was a good story and the performance was as well.

Authentic but drawn out

The characters were interesting, the tribal setting authentic, and the plot started out well enough. But soon it became slow and drawn out. After waiting for the action to get going for over half the book, I finally just skipped to the last few chapters. It wrapped everything up and what little of importance that I had missed could easily be inferred from the ending.

The story was good and held my attention throughout.

I did not like the slowness of the first victims demise but then the second and third went quicker and less meaningful.

Different!

I enjoyed this story because it was different than others I have read. The villain, firstly, was a nurse, who lost her rocker apparently, and Lord, these troubled young women into her web of darkness, telling herself that she was trying to “cure” herself them of their addiction. Her best friend was an FBI agent and these characters were very interesting. Don’t miss out on this one!

Greatness!

I lovvvvved this! It held my interest to a bingeable level. I'm excited to get to the next novel. It was deep, thoughtful, beautiful, greatness!

Native American Police Procedural

This was a good listen. I’m looking forward to sequel. Hopefully it’s a more edge of the seat.

scenery and people well described

scenery and people well described. believable characters with a minimum of melodrama. the audio was clear and well paced.

Taos Setting

I live in Taos County and greatly enjoyed the local references. Ava is a smart, strong female county deputy who is looking for her missing best friend, Paloma with the help of her Pueblo cop friend. Paloma’s son is also a lovable character. I felt their pain and frustration along with them. Very unique and solid story. Looking forward to sequel.

An easy read with interesting characters

Kept me guessing until the end and I’ll miss the characters in the book. I would recommend to anyone.

Loved it

Very descriptive and engaging storytelling Narrator was a pleasant voice Will read more from this author