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Elaine Shevin’s captivating debut novel, The Winds of Time has all the ingredients for success - convincing characters, universal theme, mystery, suspense and a touch of romance. It’s an exciting story set on an Indian Reservation in Arizona during the heat of summer. When an emergency arises, two opposing cultures clash, and an innocent girl is caught in the middle. White Swan, a young Kayatma Indian, leaves college after receiving an urgent call from her grandmother. Things are not right on the Reservation. Her people are getting sick and some are dying. Her brother may even have the dreaded sickness. As White Swan searches for the cause of the mysterious disease, she becomes the target of accusations and threats. The harder she tries to help her people, the more desperate and dangerous her situation becomes. A few friends welcome her support in their time of grief, but others seek to banish her from the tribe. And someone … wants her dead. While White Swan struggles to reconcile her belief in the healing traditions of her people with the modern science she’s learned at college, two men begin to compete for her affections. One believes in the old ways; the other embraces the new. Both seem to want the best for her. But one of them is lying. When the horrific truth about the sickness plaguing the Reservation is revealed in the final chapter, White Swan’s life depends on the love of the right man. Did she choose wisely? Elaine Shevin’s knowledge of Indian tradition and legend is remarkable, and her skill at building conflict and romantic
tension makes The Winds of Time hard to put down. She has the ability to create characters so appealing and well-rounded that you want them to go on forever. |
Jackie Houchin is a freelance reporter for The Foothills Paper in San Fernando Valley, California. She belongs to Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America and the California Writers Club. Jackie reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine, Crime Spree Magazine and The Strand magazine. She is a regular contributor to Valleynews.com as a book, theater and film reviewer. Jackie contributes to The Valley Scribe and have a few things in the CWC 2005-2006 anthology. She is a photographer, and have "shot" countless plays and musicals in community theaters for 18 years. |
Jackie Houchin Reviews