Wind River Reservation Books In Order

Publication Order of Wind River Reservation Books

picture is worth a thousand words but a story can last a lifetime. Some stories are worth telling (or reading) over and over and when these stories or novels become series, you know that you have a hit on your hands. From the thousands of series to select from, there is a reason as to why some novels becomes so popular and form a dedicated following. These are the stories that take you to another world, keep you up at all hours of the night because you simply can not put it down and leave you longing for more, Wind River Reservations is just that.

Many of the best stories are found in real life. In the Wind River Reservation series by Margaret Coel, real people, real places and real stories are given new life in a fictional universe. The culture, history and beliefs of the Arapaho Indians provide the backdrop for the series, which includes 18 books.

The Wind River Reservation is the setting for this series, created through a blending of fact and fiction. The reservation covers three million acres in West Central Wyoming, stretching from the Wind River Mountains to the plains. The reservation is 55 miles long and 70 miles wide, making it bigger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

Besides the Wind River Mountains, the horizon surrounding the reservation is stark. Plains roll on for miles, and they are capped by the clear, blue sky. While some may find great beauty in this serenity, others find it lonely and bleak. The extreme seasons can punctuate these thoughts. The summers are very hot and dry, and the winters include freezing temperatures and heavy snow storms.

The Arapahos have lived on the reservation since 1878, and they settled close to the Little Wind River in the Valley. Nearby, the Shoshones settled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountain. The two tribes oversee management of the reservation.

It is the perfect setting for the mystery and intrigue that surround the Wind River Reservation series. Jesuit missionary John Aloysius O’Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden are the protagonists of the series, and together, they investigate and solve the many murders and mysteries that occur on the reservation.

O’Malley and Holden meet in the first book in the series, “The Eagle Catcher,” in which they investigate the murder of the tribal chairman just before an important powwow. O’Malley struggles as a recovering alcoholic, and Holden is on a quest to learn about her Arapaho roots, so both have more at stake than simply finding the killer.

Over the course of their investigation, O’Malley and Holden uncover a world of fraud and corruption related to the oil and land industry, both of which have a long history and continue to have a strong presence on the reservation. A large part of the Wind River reservation economy is based on oil and gas, and the tribal government receives a percentage of the profits from these industries. Land is also especially important to the local economy, since many of the residents are farmers and cattle ranchers.

The second book in the series, “The Ghost Walker,” introduces some of the Arapaho legends and spiritual beliefs. In it, the “ghost walkers” are introduced, which are believed to be tormented souls who cannot move on but who are instead caught between the spirit world and earth. They have great power that they can use on the living.

In “The Ghost Walker,” O’Malley and Holden investigate several murders and missing person cases. They learn about Arapaho tradition in order to explain the events that are happening and to help put an end to them.

The duo continue to investigate and solves crimes on the reservation for 16 more books, with more sure to be published.

Author Margaret Coel has said that many of the books in the series are based on actual crimes or on legends from the past. For example, the events of “The Lost Bird,” the fifth book in the series, were based on a crime that Coel read about in the newspaper. The events in “The Story Teller,” “The Spirit Woman” and “The Shadow Dancer” were all based on historical events. Coel said that many of these events continue to haunt the present because of their influence on belief, society and culture.

The Wind River Reservation series has received numerous awards and accolades. The books have made the New York Times bestsellers list, as well as the Los Angeles Times, Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News bestsellers lists. “The Spirit Woman” was given the “Best Novel of the West” Willa Cather Award, and it was a finalist for the “Best Novel” Writers of America’s Spur Award. Five of the novels in the series were given the Colorado Book Award.

No movies or television series have been created from the books, but it seems likely that this could become a possibility with all the accolades the books have received. Several movies have also been shot on the Wind River Reservation because of its picturesque scenery.

Margaret Coel lives in Colorado, where she was raised. Coel says that the west is in her blood, and she regularly writes about and gives public lectures on the history of the region. She has written a non-fiction biography of an Arapaho chief, as well as four other non-fiction books. She also regularly publishes articles on the history of the region for top publications like the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor.

Coel says that she also visits the Wind River Reservation every year to keep in touch with the Arapaho people and to learn about the latest changes.

Get immersed in the world of mystery and intrigue that Coel has created in the Wind River Reservation series, and learn more about the living history that the place represents. The books seamlessly blend the past and present to show how the two are intertwined. You’ll be carried away into another world that you won’t want to leave. Unlike any other series of unique stories, everything about the characters, settings and plot lines will transport you into a world of suspense that will have you aching for more. Prepare to be swept away, to another place, where you feel like part of the storyline, leaving your troubles behind as you are overcome with emotion and involvement.