From Publishers Weekly
It's 1945, and Lee Nez, the first Navajo New Mexico state patrolman, foils a Nazi plot to steal a shipment of plutonium in this middling horror novel from the authors of the Ella Clah mystery series. The last man standing and barely alive, Nez manages to hide the "secret weapon," but the top German spy-guy, whom Nez "killed," is able to find the Native American cop since he's in fact a vampire. In an effort to wring the plutonium's location from Nez, the German keeps him alive by turning him into a vampire. After Nez makes his escape, his vampiric vulnerability to sunlight is partly ameliorated thanks to a medicine man. Other supernatural characteristics remain, but they're less intense than in a full-fledged vampire: although his appetite increases, Nez doesn't need blood to survive. As a "nightwalker" he acquires dangerous new enemies, the "skinwalkers," evil shape-changing witches, who want to kill Nez to obtain his immortality (although Nez isn't immortal). The narrative glosses over 50 years of adaptation, danger and search for the German vampire in a few pages. We then find Nez, under the name of Leonard Hawk, a state policeman again. Hawk meets up with Diane Lopez, a beautiful Hispanic FBI agent. Bureau suspicions have been aroused by his handling of a case involving skinwalkers. Hints of the Nazi vampire surface. Danger mounts. But stilted dialogue and weak characterization destroy any hope of sustainable fantasy or mystery. The ending bodes sequels of more mindless evil. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Lee Nez, a Navajo and New Mexico patrolman, stumbles upon the attempted hijacking of a U.S. Army convoy. In the struggle that follows, Lee is seriously wounded but not before he has a chance to hide the convoy's valuable cargo-a container of plutonium. Hijacker Wolfgang Muller uses his vampiric blood to heal Lee's wounds, but this is not an altruistic act. Muller wants to know where the plutonium is hidden, but Lee refuses to divulge the information. Because of the mixing of human and vampire blood, Lee has taken on many telling characteristics-aversion to sunlight, enhanced physical powers, and immortality. He has in fact become a "nightwalker," the Navajo equivalent of a vampire. Although the authors have a command of Navajo culture and lore, this novel falls short owing to tedious dialog, wooden characters, and a predictable plot. Still, followers of their Ella Clah novels will probably find this book of interest. Second Sunrise is the first in the "Lee Nez Night Walker" series. [CBS is developing a series based on Ella Clah, which may increase demand for back titles as well as this new series.-Ed.]-Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, M.--Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, MD Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Lee Nez was a New Mexico state police officer in the 1940s when an encounter with a German vampire named Hans Gruber left him a nightwalker, something between a human and a vampire. Sixty years later, after switching identities several times, Lee is once again working as a police officer in New Mexico. Constantly plagued by skinwalkers, who are able to take the forms of animals and stalk vampires, Lee is trying to lay low and seek out Gruber, who is now calling himself Wolfgang Muller. Muller is seeking the same thing he was when he and Lee fought the first time: a hidden stash of plutonium. Lee's search for Muller and the mysterious attacks he's been a victim of have brought him to the attention of the FBI, specifically Agent Diane Lopez. Lee gradually comes to trust Lopez, and together the pair attempts to stop Muller before he finds the plutonium. Fast-paced and exciting, this novel kicks off a brand-new vampire suspense series. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Locus
"An entertaining start to a new mystery series."


Review
"Second Sunrise is a fantastic blend of reality and the supernatural. Lee Nez mmakes it easy to suspend doubt and believe in 'skinwalkers' and 'nightwalkers.' My only complaint: having to wait for the next installment."


Review
"The Thurlos' talent resides in deep and thorough characterizations that lift their Native American [novels] to a plane shared by the likes of Hillerman."-Midwest Book Review



Book Description
New Mexico State Police Officer Lee Nez is a nightwalker, a Navajo vampire. Thanks to the quick work of a Navajo shaman, Lee can walk about in the day and prefers his blood refrigerated-but his vampire nature makes him a magnet for other supernatural entities.

Take his current cases. Lee suspects that the vampire who created him during World War II is back in the US, searching for a cache of stolen plutonium. And Lee's being stalked by the remnants of a pack of skinwalkers-Navajo shapeshifters-who are literally out for his blood.

When the FBI shows up, in the person of the very attractive Diane Lopez, Lee's problems only increase. He can't tell Diane that the case she's looking into involves skinwalkers or that its his supernatural abilities that make him such a great cop. And teaming up with Lee could be very hazardous to her health.



About the Author
Aimée and David Thurlo have been married for more than thirty years and have been writing novels together for nearly that long, in a variety of genres including romance, young adult, and mystery. They have three ongoing mystery series, the Sister Agatha series, starring a cloistered nun, the Lee Nez series, featuring a Navajo vampire who teams up with a female FBI agent to fight crimes that have elements of the supernatural, and their flagship series, the critically-acclaimed Ella Clah novels. Several Ella Clah novels, including Tracking Bear, Red Mesa, and Shooting Chant, have received starred reviews from Booklist.

David Thurlo was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation and later taught school in Shiprock, also on the Rez. Aimée, a native of Havana, Cuba, has lived in New Mexico for more than thirty years. The Thurlos share their home with dogs, horses, and various pet rodents. They have written more than fifty novels which have been published in more than twenty countries.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Now a nightwalker, the Navajo equivalent of a vampire, Lee lives with one foot in the human world and one in a world full of monsters. In 2002, Lee Nez is a cop again, now known as Leonard Hawk. His more-than-human abilities have made him the target of murderous Navajo witches - skinwalkers - who want his powers for themselves. When cool, capable FBI agent Diane Lopez questions Lee about an incident on the Navajo Reservation, Lee can't tell her that the people he killed that night were skinwalkers out for his blood." "Lee and Diane are attacked by a wolf pack. Diane is stunned when the wolf she shoots shapeshifts into a woman before dying. On the run, Lee tells Diane of his true nature - and that he is convinced the vampire who made him one of the undead has returned to New Mexico in the guise of German Air Force pilot Wolfgang Muller. Muller has been much too close to the place where Lee hid the plutonium six decades ago - a trap for the vampire, set with the inhuman patience of a nightwalker." Using police and FBI resources as well as Navajo healing magics and Lee's own supernatural powers, Lee and Diane hunt for Muller and his undead offspring. Muller wants to sell the nuclear material to the highest bidder - what does he care if some humans blow up some other humans, as long as he can find fresh sources of blood? When Muller takes Diane captive, Lee swears he won't lose another partner to the vampire's evil.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Lee Nez, a Navajo and New Mexico patrolman, stumbles upon the attempted hijacking of a U.S. Army convoy. In the struggle that follows, Lee is seriously wounded but not before he has a chance to hide the convoy's valuable cargo-a container of plutonium. Hijacker Wolfgang Muller uses his vampiric blood to heal Lee's wounds, but this is not an altruistic act. Muller wants to know where the plutonium is hidden, but Lee refuses to divulge the information. Because of the mixing of human and vampire blood, Lee has taken on many telling characteristics-aversion to sunlight, enhanced physical powers, and immortality. He has in fact become a "nightwalker," the Navajo equivalent of a vampire. Although the authors have a command of Navajo culture and lore, this novel falls short owing to tedious dialog, wooden characters, and a predictable plot. Still, followers of their Ella Clah novels will probably find this book of interest. Second Sunrise is the first in the "Lee Nez Night Walker" series. [CBS is developing a series based on Ella Clah, which may increase demand for back titles as well as this new series.-Ed.]-Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, MD Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews