The Girl With Braided Hair

By: Margaret Coel

Narrated by: Andrea Bates

The skeleton of a young woman is discovered in a dry gully on the Wind River Reservation. Remnants of a long, black braid are mixed with the bones. There is a bullet hole in the skull. Forensics determine the woman was shot to death in 1973. 1973, the year the American Indian Movement had occupied the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Afterward, Indians under federal indictment had gone into hiding on other reservations, including Wind River. A year of fear and violence, when no one could be trusted, when anyone might be an FBI snitch.

Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley are determined to find the identity of the forgotten woman and see that she is laid to rest in the traditional Arapaho Way. Their search leads them into the 1970s and the dark underbelly of an organization that had spoken out on behalf of Indian rights. They soon run into a wall of silence. No one wants to talk about a time when many crimes, including murder, went unsolved. No one wants to admit the part they may have played, or the guilt they may still carry. No one wants to remember a young woman accused of being a snitch.

As the life and death of the woman begin to come into view, Vicky and Father John realize that the killer who has gotten away with murder for more than 30 years is still on the reservation and that they are about to be his next victims.

©2008 Margaret Coel (P)2008 Books In Motion

Mispronounced Wyoming place names.

The mispronunciation of actual Wyoming place names is disturbing and distracting for Wyoming native listeners.

not pleasant

Way too much detail and repetition. The narrator is awful. She put emphasis in the wrong places, etc. Probably a good story but, hard to finish.

oh dear, different narrator

What did you like best about The Girl With Braided Hair? What did you like least?

gosh ....a beloved series, but this narrator's take on the characters, especially the priest father john, is really jarring...and she sings, the narrator...i believe at the one hour point she has let her voice soar at least five times...again, since this is supposed to be a native american woman, her admittedly lovely soprano voice is...jarring. i was too comfy with the other voices, i guess, which just shows how crucial narration is...a wonderful series not to be missed and i'm feeling crotchety because i really wanted to escape into this story so take me with a grain of salt...

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Andrea Bates?

whoever narrated the rest of the series

Could you see The Girl With Braided Hair being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

oh this is the silliest damn reviewing format....done!

Another great one!

Margaret Cole delivers a fascinating glimpse into a period of American history that few people are familiar with. And we are left wondering about the future of thee Mission!

Excellent story, poor delivery<br />

This reader is obviously not familiar with locale or mysteries. Not a romance. Most distressing.

loved it

Touching stories. Very descriptive narration throughout. Interesting history of AIM movement. Suspenseful and emotional balance. Great story line. I've read all her books.

An evenly paced plot.

Margaret Coel, always a good read. No fail fiction!! Forward and backward in time, without confusion.

Good Story

I like series. This narrator does not match the tone of the characters and story.

Wind River Books by Margaret Coel

I love these books and have most of them in my library at home but all so have some of them on Audible

Who done it?

How they worked together to solve it. Loved it! Learned more information about AIM.