A Death in Eden

There's a war going on in Montana between copper-mining supporters and the antimining "Save the Smith River" protest group. "Scarecrows" with meat faces are appearing along the Smith River, with "Not on my watch" chalked on neighboring cliffs. Former undercover state investigator Harold Little Feather is brought in to investigate. Meanwhile, PI Sean Stranahan has been hired to guide TV host Lilian Cartright and her subjects miner Clint McCaine and environmentalist Burt Trueblood downriver. Soon bodies start turning up, while Harold and his son Marcus seem to have disappeared. Is it all related to the mining conflict, or is something else going on? While the setting is wonderful, the convoluted plot, constant switching among points of view, and the large number of major characters can be confusing, especially since the author seems to prefer description to dialog. Even Rick Holmes's clear, spare delivery isn't enough to disentangle the redundant plot tangents and sort out the personalities.