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Murder at Black Dog Springs
Code Talker Logan Kee returns to Lukachukai Mountain in 1947, hoping to forget the horrors of war in the Pacific. But there is talk of uranium mining in Dinetah. When one of the mining executives is found shot to death on his land, Logan and his lover, Mike, a former Seabee, have to find the killer before the wrong man is accused of murder.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 19, 2013
I love this book.
The dialogue, the story, the atmosphere, the setting, it’s all there, laid out for us to indulge and relish. The opening!!
It’s early post-WW II, 1947, so many of the details and attitudes, knowledge and culture are all apropos for the time. Mike and Logan, all of the characters are fully formed and dressed, each breathing their own rhythms. Jay and Curtis crack me up, and they are accepting of themselves and their friends, their brothers in arms, Mike and Logan. They are all there for each other, whether rustling sheep, carving a notch out of a log or offering reassuring solace when their memories get too demanding of their time.
I love this book.
The mystery that is referenced in the title is well played. We get a few snippets of the personality of the victim before events start to unfold. There is a company wanting to mine uranium on the reservation and feelings and ideas about that are expressed strongly all around. I didn’t see everything coming until close to the end. And, along the way, we learn more and more about these men and their lives, before and after war. The entire thing is like dining on the most tender of meats, so light and unassuming but oh so satisfyingly filling.
I love this BOOK.
The attraction, unwavering support and deep understanding between Mike and Logan are spread out before us, a wonderfully prepared picnic of emotion, enticing our hearts at will. Their connection is double such: a true love partnered with the most unbreakable of bonds, having survived their service in the Pacific, some of the worst of the war. They saw the A-bombs and their effects, all of them. No longer is patience the name of the game in, not just knowing what and who they want, but doing something about it without letting anything get in their way. An intimate gesture, one of my favorite bits: That’s what you do with someone who… they’re yours.
Ilovethisbook.
They aren’t living in some paradise, there are those who do not accept them as they are, for many reasons, and they both worry about what they can do, where they can go. More than once Logan thinks about whether their mountain is the place for them to share their lives in peace. One of the best things about this story is that they don’t give up, they demand from the world what they want, and thankfully have those who want it for them, too. This is Logan to Mike, perfect: Normally, this is too sweet for my tastes but it just freaking works with these characters and this story.
I love this book.
There is an intangible quality to this writing and I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s not ethereal or otherworldly or surreal. It’s like there’s a gently unrealistic thread running through the story and all of the characters and it works. It just does. It gives a slightly faded, sepia tone to the whole thing. It’s not nostalgia or rose-colored, but whatever it is (say it with me now)…
I.Love.This.Book.
Whitman, windows and weaving… that’s love.
ILOVETHISBOOK.
The ending!!
I love this book!!!
This is the second of this author’s books that I’ve read and I will continue to do so.
I recommend you do, as well. This book is love.
The dialogue, the story, the atmosphere, the setting, it’s all there, laid out for us to indulge and relish. The opening!!
It’s early post-WW II, 1947, so many of the details and attitudes, knowledge and culture are all apropos for the time. Mike and Logan, all of the characters are fully formed and dressed, each breathing their own rhythms. Jay and Curtis crack me up, and they are accepting of themselves and their friends, their brothers in arms, Mike and Logan. They are all there for each other, whether rustling sheep, carving a notch out of a log or offering reassuring solace when their memories get too demanding of their time.
I love this book.
The mystery that is referenced in the title is well played. We get a few snippets of the personality of the victim before events start to unfold. There is a company wanting to mine uranium on the reservation and feelings and ideas about that are expressed strongly all around. I didn’t see everything coming until close to the end. And, along the way, we learn more and more about these men and their lives, before and after war. The entire thing is like dining on the most tender of meats, so light and unassuming but oh so satisfyingly filling.
I love this BOOK.
The attraction, unwavering support and deep understanding between Mike and Logan are spread out before us, a wonderfully prepared picnic of emotion, enticing our hearts at will. Their connection is double such: a true love partnered with the most unbreakable of bonds, having survived their service in the Pacific, some of the worst of the war. They saw the A-bombs and their effects, all of them. No longer is patience the name of the game in, not just knowing what and who they want, but doing something about it without letting anything get in their way. An intimate gesture, one of my favorite bits: That’s what you do with someone who… they’re yours.
Ilovethisbook.
They aren’t living in some paradise, there are those who do not accept them as they are, for many reasons, and they both worry about what they can do, where they can go. More than once Logan thinks about whether their mountain is the place for them to share their lives in peace. One of the best things about this story is that they don’t give up, they demand from the world what they want, and thankfully have those who want it for them, too. This is Logan to Mike, perfect: Normally, this is too sweet for my tastes but it just freaking works with these characters and this story.
I love this book.
There is an intangible quality to this writing and I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s not ethereal or otherworldly or surreal. It’s like there’s a gently unrealistic thread running through the story and all of the characters and it works. It just does. It gives a slightly faded, sepia tone to the whole thing. It’s not nostalgia or rose-colored, but whatever it is (say it with me now)…
I.Love.This.Book.
Whitman, windows and weaving… that’s love.
ILOVETHISBOOK.
The ending!!
I love this book!!!
This is the second of this author’s books that I’ve read and I will continue to do so.
I recommend you do, as well. This book is love.
Read
August 6, 2011There are many things to love in this novel, first of all the fact this is an more than happily ever after love story: when the story starts the two main heroes are two old men living together in a Navajo reserve in 2008 and the reader is brought back with them to the winter of 1947, when they chose, for various reasons, to live together.
Mike and Logan were both soldiers during the IIWW. Logan, a Navajo Native American, was part of a special team with other two Native Americans from his own reserve. Mike was the son of the owner of the mines who now wants to open a mine inside the Navajo reserve. There is a murder and there are investigations and there is an unexpected culprit, but mainly this is a wonderful love story.
As many soldiers Mike came back from was not the same man he was before. He is drinking too much, regretting too much, and basically he is unable to live in peace after everything he saw. The only mainstay he seems to have is Logan, the fellow soldier he shared everything during the war, not only a tent. What he had with Logan was beautiful but he thought was supposed to end with the end of the war. That is probably yet another reason why Mike is unable to continue with his previous life, Logan was not only another live body with whom he could scare off the death he was seeing day after day.
Logan is now living inside the Reserve; like Mike he couldn’t go back to his life and he basically divorced from his wife (meaning he simply left their home to go living in the mountain). When Mike comes to him searching for something he doesn’t know, Logan knows, and he opens his arms. Living together alone in the mountains allow to these two men to not worry about what society will think; the Navajos are more worried about Mike being white that about him being a man loving another man, they are Two-Spirits and for the Native Americans that is an asset not something to hide.
This is a wonderful love story but it’s not an erotic romance; the love between the two men is plenty and clear, but the story has a bittersweet taste, exactly as it should be: two men remembering their past life together, a life that was long and beautiful, since they were together, but also peppered of tragic events and sad memories.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QOAYXE/?...
Mike and Logan were both soldiers during the IIWW. Logan, a Navajo Native American, was part of a special team with other two Native Americans from his own reserve. Mike was the son of the owner of the mines who now wants to open a mine inside the Navajo reserve. There is a murder and there are investigations and there is an unexpected culprit, but mainly this is a wonderful love story.
As many soldiers Mike came back from was not the same man he was before. He is drinking too much, regretting too much, and basically he is unable to live in peace after everything he saw. The only mainstay he seems to have is Logan, the fellow soldier he shared everything during the war, not only a tent. What he had with Logan was beautiful but he thought was supposed to end with the end of the war. That is probably yet another reason why Mike is unable to continue with his previous life, Logan was not only another live body with whom he could scare off the death he was seeing day after day.
Logan is now living inside the Reserve; like Mike he couldn’t go back to his life and he basically divorced from his wife (meaning he simply left their home to go living in the mountain). When Mike comes to him searching for something he doesn’t know, Logan knows, and he opens his arms. Living together alone in the mountains allow to these two men to not worry about what society will think; the Navajos are more worried about Mike being white that about him being a man loving another man, they are Two-Spirits and for the Native Americans that is an asset not something to hide.
This is a wonderful love story but it’s not an erotic romance; the love between the two men is plenty and clear, but the story has a bittersweet taste, exactly as it should be: two men remembering their past life together, a life that was long and beautiful, since they were together, but also peppered of tragic events and sad memories.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QOAYXE/?...
March 16, 2012
I can't seem to come up with words to express how much I loved this story. Logan and Mike are changed men after having served together in WWII, Logan as a Code Talker and Mike as a Seabee assigned to Logan's unit. The majority of the story takes place in 1947 when Mike travels to the reservation to visit with Logan. They rekindle a fire they had only glimpsed during the war, and though there is a very interesting mystery and lots of secondary characters that enrich the story, this is at heart a love story.
Let me just say that I found this story very moving, with a great deal of heart. Highly recommend.
Let me just say that I found this story very moving, with a great deal of heart. Highly recommend.
June 3, 2012
Originally posted at Rarely Dusty Books
Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Navajo, War, Murder, Mystery, Friendship, 1947, Exploitation, Nature, Mining
~~~~~
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1 out of 3
~~~~~
Somehow Sarah Black’s writing style always has a pull on me, draws me in like a mot to a flame. And I can't put my finger on how she does that, it's not the writing itself alone. It's a combination with her layered characters and the fascinating setting that are slowly unfolding themselves the further you are drawn into the narrating. But the minute I open the book I know I won't be able to put it down easily. And when I absolutely have to, because of trivial stuff like sleep or food, the story stays with me and has the tendency to distract me from what I'm doing because I can't completely leave the world it unravels.
In the case of Murder at Black Dog Springs this world is the world of a Navajo reservoir, to which Logan returns after the war and where he seeks out a secluded spot up against the mountain - away from his wife and her family. Soon after his return Mike joins him there and helps him build his own house. The main characters don't stay secluded very long. The author makes sure they are surrounded by a bigger cast, of friends and family who are sometimes on their side and sometimes not. This creates an interesting dynamic within the community and forms a good base for the development of Mike and Logan's relationship.
Considering this story takes place in 1947 their relationship is quite easily accepted by their close friends and relatives. It's never a big issue that the men are gay, which is maybe slightly odd. But I guess Ms. Black had more important topics to address. For instance, the deep camaraderie between men who’ve fought in a war together, the injustice of social exploitation of native Americans by big companies for the sake of higher profits, and the beauty of poetry and literary classics which can bring inner peace as well is excitement, like the next quote shows:
I already enjoyed Ms. Black's referrals to literary fiction in one of her other books (Idaho Battlegrounds that I reviewed here) and it seems as if this is a recurring aspect in her work.
Another element I rather liked in this novel was the suspense arc. There has been a murder, as the title already suggests. And although the whodunit mystery isn't particularly thrilling, it 's a well-built and clever frame for the love story and the social topics that are addressed.
When you’re looking for hot, steamy m/m erotica, Sarah Black’s stories are not for you. When you want raw romances embedded in a narrative that offers much more than a string of romantic moments (like suspense, views on socially relevant topics and a sense of the deeper values in life), you’ll probably find what you’re looking for in Black’s work.
More so, instead of steamy, explicit sex scenes we get sensual, romantic and beautiful descriptions like this one from Murder at Black Dog Springs:
Overall, this revised version of Murder at Black Dog Springs, which has been published before in a Partners in Crime installment, had my full attention from the first to the last page. It's entertaining and thought-provoking while the characters have won my heart and made me want to join them there on that Lukachukai Mountain in their poetic and unusual world.
Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Navajo, War, Murder, Mystery, Friendship, 1947, Exploitation, Nature, Mining
~~~~~
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1 out of 3
~~~~~
Somehow Sarah Black’s writing style always has a pull on me, draws me in like a mot to a flame. And I can't put my finger on how she does that, it's not the writing itself alone. It's a combination with her layered characters and the fascinating setting that are slowly unfolding themselves the further you are drawn into the narrating. But the minute I open the book I know I won't be able to put it down easily. And when I absolutely have to, because of trivial stuff like sleep or food, the story stays with me and has the tendency to distract me from what I'm doing because I can't completely leave the world it unravels.
In the case of Murder at Black Dog Springs this world is the world of a Navajo reservoir, to which Logan returns after the war and where he seeks out a secluded spot up against the mountain - away from his wife and her family. Soon after his return Mike joins him there and helps him build his own house. The main characters don't stay secluded very long. The author makes sure they are surrounded by a bigger cast, of friends and family who are sometimes on their side and sometimes not. This creates an interesting dynamic within the community and forms a good base for the development of Mike and Logan's relationship.
Considering this story takes place in 1947 their relationship is quite easily accepted by their close friends and relatives. It's never a big issue that the men are gay, which is maybe slightly odd. But I guess Ms. Black had more important topics to address. For instance, the deep camaraderie between men who’ve fought in a war together, the injustice of social exploitation of native Americans by big companies for the sake of higher profits, and the beauty of poetry and literary classics which can bring inner peace as well is excitement, like the next quote shows:
"I’d watched the color deepen in Mike’s face when I read Walt Whitman, felt a small flame of heat deep in my belly. I’d read to Mike again tonight, when we were alone, watch how his body responded to those words, to my voice."
I already enjoyed Ms. Black's referrals to literary fiction in one of her other books (Idaho Battlegrounds that I reviewed here) and it seems as if this is a recurring aspect in her work.
Another element I rather liked in this novel was the suspense arc. There has been a murder, as the title already suggests. And although the whodunit mystery isn't particularly thrilling, it 's a well-built and clever frame for the love story and the social topics that are addressed.
When you’re looking for hot, steamy m/m erotica, Sarah Black’s stories are not for you. When you want raw romances embedded in a narrative that offers much more than a string of romantic moments (like suspense, views on socially relevant topics and a sense of the deeper values in life), you’ll probably find what you’re looking for in Black’s work.
More so, instead of steamy, explicit sex scenes we get sensual, romantic and beautiful descriptions like this one from Murder at Black Dog Springs:
"I woke early. Mike was wrapped around me, and his sleeping skin smelled like pears. I’d eaten a ripe pear for the first time in California, before we shipped out with the Second Marines. I still remembered the shock of the taste, sweet and buttery, such a strange yellow flavor, juice dripping down my chin."
Overall, this revised version of Murder at Black Dog Springs, which has been published before in a Partners in Crime installment, had my full attention from the first to the last page. It's entertaining and thought-provoking while the characters have won my heart and made me want to join them there on that Lukachukai Mountain in their poetic and unusual world.
March 21, 2011
I was very happy when I won this book at Reviews by Jessewave, since this was only Ms. Black's m/m story that I was missing. The earlier version of this story was published in the Partners of Crime anthology, but if you can - buy this book, because the story was revised. And it's exceptional.
I think I already said this somewhere else, but I think that if Sara Black ever decides to publish a TV manual - I will read it. The settings she writes about are as foreign to me as they come, but she gives them so much life that I can swear I saw them, smell them, felt them on my skin. Their characters speak to that most private part of my heart and I always think that I would like to meet them and befriend them, if only that was possible. Her writing makes me cry and laugh and think and - what more could you want from a book?
Ms. Black rarely writes easy, fluffy stories and this wasn't one either. It is amazing how much themes she can pack in a novella. You can see how much love went into the setting - like I said, you can see it, feel it, you are just there. The characters were magnificent as always, but it was Curtis who broke my heart. I learned a fabulous Navajo word - hozho. I suggest you read this story to learn what it means. I can see myself rereading it many, many times in the future.
I hope one day Ms. Black will write a novel. I'm quite sure it would be fantastic and my enjoyment would be longer. Highly, highly recommended.
I think I already said this somewhere else, but I think that if Sara Black ever decides to publish a TV manual - I will read it. The settings she writes about are as foreign to me as they come, but she gives them so much life that I can swear I saw them, smell them, felt them on my skin. Their characters speak to that most private part of my heart and I always think that I would like to meet them and befriend them, if only that was possible. Her writing makes me cry and laugh and think and - what more could you want from a book?
Ms. Black rarely writes easy, fluffy stories and this wasn't one either. It is amazing how much themes she can pack in a novella. You can see how much love went into the setting - like I said, you can see it, feel it, you are just there. The characters were magnificent as always, but it was Curtis who broke my heart. I learned a fabulous Navajo word - hozho. I suggest you read this story to learn what it means. I can see myself rereading it many, many times in the future.
I hope one day Ms. Black will write a novel. I'm quite sure it would be fantastic and my enjoyment would be longer. Highly, highly recommended.
September 27, 2013
At the moment I’m reading through Sarah Black’s books – she writes really good stories.
This one is about the several Navajo soldiers (and one white soldier) after they came home in 1947. While it concentrates on Logan, who wants nothing more than to live in peace on his mountain with the love of his life Mike, it also shows the reader the situation of others, especially their friends Jay and Curtis, both unemployed and marked by the war.
The story in superficially about the murder of Mike’s cousin, who represented his family and wanted to mine uranium in the Navajo hills. But it flows like a river without very much action, circles around Logan’s little place in the mountains, where he wants to build his Hogan with his friends. Everyday actions happen, people come and go, connections are made, little secrets revealed, support is shown, love is given.
I can’t tell you what makes this story, I can only tell you that I enjoyed reading it. It’s one of this pieces you don’t know why but you love it.
4,5 stars
This one is about the several Navajo soldiers (and one white soldier) after they came home in 1947. While it concentrates on Logan, who wants nothing more than to live in peace on his mountain with the love of his life Mike, it also shows the reader the situation of others, especially their friends Jay and Curtis, both unemployed and marked by the war.
The story in superficially about the murder of Mike’s cousin, who represented his family and wanted to mine uranium in the Navajo hills. But it flows like a river without very much action, circles around Logan’s little place in the mountains, where he wants to build his Hogan with his friends. Everyday actions happen, people come and go, connections are made, little secrets revealed, support is shown, love is given.
I can’t tell you what makes this story, I can only tell you that I enjoyed reading it. It’s one of this pieces you don’t know why but you love it.
4,5 stars
October 6, 2013
*** Absolutely fabulous and truly inspiring! ***
Lukachukai Mountain
It's a wonderful, moving and emotional story of unconditional love and friendship.
Ms. Black offers us a fascinating insight into the Navajo culture and its beautiful soul. You cannot but fall in love with Logan and Mike, Curtis and Jay!
This novel left me with an indescribable feeling .... Highly recommended!
June 6, 2017
This is not the story of just Mike and Logan, it is also the story of Jay and Curtis and how WWII, Nagasaki bombing affected the people in the war. It is about mining for uranium in Lukachukai Mountain and how that impacts the job prospects there.
It was a wonderful read and as always Sarah Black's writing touches you to the core. It is not easy reading about her characters, but you do not want to leave them either.
It was a wonderful read and as always Sarah Black's writing touches you to the core. It is not easy reading about her characters, but you do not want to leave them either.
July 25, 2013
Very unexciting.
It doesn't feel like 1947. It doesn't feel very Navajo to me (not that I am an expert, but these guys seemed much whiter than the people in Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two or any book by Rose Christo).
And this must be just about the most boring murder mystery ever. Even the many discussions of the type of roof the hogan is going to need are more interesting.
It doesn't feel like 1947. It doesn't feel very Navajo to me (not that I am an expert, but these guys seemed much whiter than the people in Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two or any book by Rose Christo).
And this must be just about the most boring murder mystery ever. Even the many discussions of the type of roof the hogan is going to need are more interesting.
August 8, 2011
Wonderful sense of time and place and a rich well paced story.
January 21, 2014
Just brilliant.
September 16, 2021
2021 Re-Read:
I love this author's writing. Everything she writes is a comfort read for me.
I love this author's writing. Everything she writes is a comfort read for me.
March 25, 2015
I love everything I have read by Sarah Black, this was no exception. Wonderful characters and setting.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews