It's A Mystery
What A Web Grandmother Spider Weaves
by Ed Barrett
I’ve known Marc Berlin since I came to Bangor over fifteen years ago. In fact, in his previous life, Marc was the real estate agent who helped me buy my first Bangor house. When Marc asked me to share some of my thoughts about mysteries, how could I not oblige? With over 1500 mysteries in my “I have read” database, he figured I might have something to offer. After all, if you’re a mystery fan, you’re always looking for new books or authors.
The problem is where to begin? My favorite series? Location based mysteries? Little known authors? Humorous mysteries?
For my first ramble, I’ve chosen the mystery that I most frequently recommend – Grandmother Spider by James D. Doss, the sixth in his ten book series about Ute tribal police officer/investigator Charlie Moon. It’s my favorite because it’s about a series of incidents that appear to only make sense within the Ute mystical tradition. But Charlie, a non-believer, is seeking a rational explanation. For the reader, this seems an impossible challenge, and one that kept me glued to the story right from the start. This is one “you can’t put down.”
Some background. Charlie is an engaging character. A seven-foot tall Ute modernist with a sense of humor and generally unsuccessful love life, his only living relative, Aunt Daisy Perika, is an elder and believer in the old ways. Daisy, a Catholic convert, regularly, and against priestly advice, consults the Pitikupf (a kind of Ute leprechaun who lives in an abandoned badger hole near her home) who shares mystic, dream-like visions with her.
The story begins when Sarah, Daisy’s nine-year-old ward, squashes a spider against prior warnings – an act that can only cause trouble. Daisy tells her that Grandmother Spider will be called out from her lair under Navajo Lake to take revenge.
At about the same time, two strangers meet on the shores of the lake. William Pizinski, a scientist with a top-secret clearance, stops on his way home from a business trip to Albuquerque. Tommy Tonompicket, a Ute, sees his truck and and pulls over on his way to deliver used equipment for the grand opening of the next Ozzie’s Fine Seafood restaurant. (Near as I can tell, this is not the same Ozzie's that you can visit on New Brunswick Route One North of St. Andrews.) The two strangers get to visiting and share a few beers. Strange things happen.
Unusual lights are reported at the lake. The responding officer thinks he sees, in the twilight, a strange, bulbous, glowing “creature” coming toward his cruiser before it disappears into the sky. That same night, Daisy hears strange noises. She and Sarah rush outside and see what they think is a glowing spider drifting by overhead. Daisy takes a shot at it.
Later, an attorney is found dead outside his cabin with what appear to be fang bites to his shoulders. The film in his camera shows an out of focus, shadowy, bulbous shape with dangling appendages apparently lit by an internal glow.
Days later, Tonompicket is found lodged in the top of a tree. Pizinski, in a confused daze, stumbles out of the forest. Neither can explain what has happened.
Were these events the revenge of Grandmother Spider, as Daisy believes? Or will Charlie find a rational explanation?
As I read, I concluded that Doss had written himself into a corner he could not escape. I could come up with no logical explanation for these events, leaving me to believe that Doss would either fall back on mysticism or “pull a rabbit out of a hat” with an unsatisfying conclusion based on facts not in evidence to the reader (and don’t you just HATE that). Alongside the mystery, then, is the deeper mystery of whether Doss can write his way out of the “mystical” events he has described.
To find the answer, you’ll have to read the book.
It won’t hurt to read several (or all) of the earlier Charlie Moon stories before taking up this challenge. All are enjoyable with engaging characters, interesting stories, and some light-hearted humor. They provide an interesting view into Ute mystical traditions.
If you have a favorite mystery, especially one that kept you guessing to the end, drop Marc a line at bookmarcs@bookmarcs.com so we can pass your favorite on to others.
The Charlie Moon Series, in chronological order:
The Shaman Sings (1994)
The Shaman Laughs (1995)
The Shaman’s Bones (1997)
The Shaman’s Game (1998)
The Night Visitor (1999)
Grandmother Spider (2001)
White Shell Woman (2001)
Dead Soul (2003)
The Witches Tongue (2004)
Shadow Man (2005)
by Ed Barrett
I’ve known Marc Berlin since I came to Bangor over fifteen years ago. In fact, in his previous life, Marc was the real estate agent who helped me buy my first Bangor house. When Marc asked me to share some of my thoughts about mysteries, how could I not oblige? With over 1500 mysteries in my “I have read” database, he figured I might have something to offer. After all, if you’re a mystery fan, you’re always looking for new books or authors.
The problem is where to begin? My favorite series? Location based mysteries? Little known authors? Humorous mysteries?
For my first ramble, I’ve chosen the mystery that I most frequently recommend – Grandmother Spider by James D. Doss, the sixth in his ten book series about Ute tribal police officer/investigator Charlie Moon. It’s my favorite because it’s about a series of incidents that appear to only make sense within the Ute mystical tradition. But Charlie, a non-believer, is seeking a rational explanation. For the reader, this seems an impossible challenge, and one that kept me glued to the story right from the start. This is one “you can’t put down.”
Some background. Charlie is an engaging character. A seven-foot tall Ute modernist with a sense of humor and generally unsuccessful love life, his only living relative, Aunt Daisy Perika, is an elder and believer in the old ways. Daisy, a Catholic convert, regularly, and against priestly advice, consults the Pitikupf (a kind of Ute leprechaun who lives in an abandoned badger hole near her home) who shares mystic, dream-like visions with her.
The story begins when Sarah, Daisy’s nine-year-old ward, squashes a spider against prior warnings – an act that can only cause trouble. Daisy tells her that Grandmother Spider will be called out from her lair under Navajo Lake to take revenge.
At about the same time, two strangers meet on the shores of the lake. William Pizinski, a scientist with a top-secret clearance, stops on his way home from a business trip to Albuquerque. Tommy Tonompicket, a Ute, sees his truck and and pulls over on his way to deliver used equipment for the grand opening of the next Ozzie’s Fine Seafood restaurant. (Near as I can tell, this is not the same Ozzie's that you can visit on New Brunswick Route One North of St. Andrews.) The two strangers get to visiting and share a few beers. Strange things happen.
Unusual lights are reported at the lake. The responding officer thinks he sees, in the twilight, a strange, bulbous, glowing “creature” coming toward his cruiser before it disappears into the sky. That same night, Daisy hears strange noises. She and Sarah rush outside and see what they think is a glowing spider drifting by overhead. Daisy takes a shot at it.
Later, an attorney is found dead outside his cabin with what appear to be fang bites to his shoulders. The film in his camera shows an out of focus, shadowy, bulbous shape with dangling appendages apparently lit by an internal glow.
Days later, Tonompicket is found lodged in the top of a tree. Pizinski, in a confused daze, stumbles out of the forest. Neither can explain what has happened.
Were these events the revenge of Grandmother Spider, as Daisy believes? Or will Charlie find a rational explanation?
As I read, I concluded that Doss had written himself into a corner he could not escape. I could come up with no logical explanation for these events, leaving me to believe that Doss would either fall back on mysticism or “pull a rabbit out of a hat” with an unsatisfying conclusion based on facts not in evidence to the reader (and don’t you just HATE that). Alongside the mystery, then, is the deeper mystery of whether Doss can write his way out of the “mystical” events he has described.
To find the answer, you’ll have to read the book.
It won’t hurt to read several (or all) of the earlier Charlie Moon stories before taking up this challenge. All are enjoyable with engaging characters, interesting stories, and some light-hearted humor. They provide an interesting view into Ute mystical traditions.
If you have a favorite mystery, especially one that kept you guessing to the end, drop Marc a line at bookmarcs@bookmarcs.com so we can pass your favorite on to others.
The Charlie Moon Series, in chronological order:
The Shaman Sings (1994)
The Shaman Laughs (1995)
The Shaman’s Bones (1997)
The Shaman’s Game (1998)
The Night Visitor (1999)
Grandmother Spider (2001)
White Shell Woman (2001)
Dead Soul (2003)
The Witches Tongue (2004)
Shadow Man (2005)
posted by BookMarc's at 4:54 PM
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