Paleoartist Ansel Phoenix lives and works in Montana, USA. A burnt body is found outside the Big Toe Natural History Museum, hanging from a life-sized Allosauraus replica that she had designed. Initially this is the extent of her involvement - highly peripheral - but she is quickly sucked into the centre of a maelstrom of events. She is concerned at a threat to the existence of the Museum from the Bureau of Land Management and worried by the widespread destruction and theft of fossils across the State.
Ansel is an appealing heroine - she is half Blackfoot with tremendous artistic
and scientific skills but has some gremlins from her past which influence her
actions and responses. Her tough character and attractive exterior lead her
into a complicated professional and personal life. Fortunately she is in good
physical condition and knows her local terrain so she can cope with excruciating
difficulties. Various law enforcement agencies become involved in the ramifications
spiralling from the poacher’s death and they, of course, have conflicts with
each other. The parched ranches of Montana are suffering from a prolonged drought
which makes a harsh background to the unfolding drama . The story shifts from
place to place very effectively and some characters hide behind bland or aggressive
facades until they reveal their motives - Ansel has to decide who she can really
trust.
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Jennifer S. Palmer
There is one previous book about Ansel Phoenix entitled Mesozoic Murder.