Buried at Bears Ears

Someone will do whatever it takes to stop archaeologist Joe Cutler's excavation in Utah's controversial Bears Ears wilderness. Frighten him with headless rattlesnakes. Sabotage the dig site. Shoot his Navajo friend. Abduct his teenage daughter Megan.

It's 2015. Five Utah Native tribes want nearly two million acres set aside for Bears Ears Monument. To them it's sacred land containing thousands of ancient sites. For many Anglo locals, the rugged red rock lands are a profit source from extracting oil, gas, and uranium. And from digging up artifacts for the black market.

Joe hopes to mend the tears in his relationship with his daughter. But the past haunts them and tension flares, especially because of another woman's presence--Felicity, a Chicago detective who became a big part of his life after his wife died.

While the team is in town for a weekend of rest, his Navajo colleague on sentry duty is shot in the middle of the night. Given the local sheriff's half-hearted effort, Joe and Felicity decide to find out why. But before they make progress, Megan has a chilling encounter with artifact thieves. Then she disappears. Was she abducted? Or did she run away, again?

The search for Megan uncovers disturbing answers. Answers others want to keep buried.

Fans of Tony Hillerman and his daughter Anne Hillerman will relate to the southwestern setting. The story also closely resembles the classic mysteries of Elizabeth Peters--an archaeologist as the key protagonist, family drama, and historical and political tensions.