From Publishers Weekly
Several murders and the repeated appearance of seven black stones, evidence of a Cherokee death curse, are featured in the third adventure (after The Redbird's Cry) of Molly Bearpaw, Hager's warm, laid-back Oklahoma investigator. The Cherokee Nation is building a bingo hall on property adjoining old Zebediah Smoke's shack; Zeb, who doesn't like it a bit, prophecies death for all who promote bingo. Pretty soon, Ed Whitekiller, who had better luck with the ladies than with steady employment, dies of car-exhaust inhalation, leaving behind an indifferent wife, a callous mistress and an upset daughter, who asks Molly for help. Molly becomes convinced that, contrary to the sheriff's opinion, Ed was not a suicide. Her hunch gains credibility when a construction worker at the bingo hall dies. Shortly before dying, each man had received seven pebbles. Zeb, however, is too old and feeble to be the killer. In effectively understated prose, Hager sets up the mystery while Molly grapples with her own personal problems: a long-distance relationship; the ghost of her mother; and a job threatened by proposed cuts in the government's grant to the Nation. Molly's mellow perseverance is a welcome respite from the angst-ridden approaches of many modern sleuths. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this third in the Molly Bearpaw series (e.g., The Rebird's Cry, LJ 4/1/94), the Cherokee investigator delves into a suicide that she can't quite buy and the apparently unrelated murder of a worker at the building site for the nation's nearly completed bingo hall. As Bearpaw struggles with memories of her own mother's suicide, possible loss of her job due to federal budget cuts, and serious commitment to Detective D.J. Kennedy, she works to unravel the murder(s). Interweaving Cherokee traditions, history, and lore with the stark Oklahoma setting, Hager's latest novel moves her up a notch in the mystery gallery. Worth investigating.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Hager has been favorably compared to Tony Hillerman, and for good reason. Not only does she write engaging, cleverly plotted stories, she also effectively juxtaposes the contemporary lives of Native Americans against the still-potent ancient world of Indian myth and legend. Hager's latest has heroine Molly Bearpaw helping young Maggie Whitekiller come to grips with her father's death. Maggie is convinced her dad didn't commit suicide despite the fact that his body was found in a closed garage with his truck motor running. The only piece of evidence that makes Molly believe the girl might be right is the circle of seven black stones found next to Whitekiller's body. Then a second body turns up on the construction site of a controversial new bingo hall, and there are--you guessed it--seven black stones nearby. Hager has written a riveting story with plenty of high-speed action and a likable, engaging heroine. The one slight flaw is the disappointingly weak murder motive, which seems contrived and anticlimactic after all the buildup. Otherwise, a gripping read. Emily Melton

ANNOTATION

Two Cherokees die and traditional tribal members become terrified when a pile of stones is found near the victim's home. According to ancient lore, a Cherokee could curse someone using seven black rocks, and within a week the victim would be dead. Cherokee investigator Molly Bearpaw is called in to investigate--and finds she has just one week to find the killer.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The Apportioner sees what's going on over there and she don't like it. When she gets mad enough, she'll send a punishment, like she did in the old days. Lot of people are going to die." The words were spoken by Zebediah Smoke, whose ramshackle property bordered the Cherokee Nation's new, half-completed bingo hall. Zeb's listeners, his great-nephew and a retired professor who had come to record the old man's stories for posterity, could dismiss his rantings as an old man's melodrama. But in a matter of days Zeb's words seemed to come true. The first victim was found in his garage, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. While the sheriff wanted to rule it a suicide and close the case, Molly Bearpaw, whose own life had been darkened by suicide, was sure that this was not. So was the teenage daughter of the dead man. And besides, there was the matter of the seven small black stones left in a circle on the seat of Ed Whitekiller's pick-up truck. Whitekiller had been chronically unemployed and perpetual womanizer. While Molly was suspicious of his angry wife, and his latest lover's angry husband, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was something other than a crime of passion. And when another dead man was found within shooting distance of Zebediah Smoke's shack, she knew that seven black stones would be found there, too. Now, she only had to find out why... Jean Hager's most masterful work yet, Seven Black Stones captures the confluences of the traditional and the modern forces in contemporary Cherokee life. With its powerful sense of time and place and rich characterizations, this mystery delves into the issues between men and women, lovers and family, that are common to us all, and that force Molly Bearpaw to find not only a killer, but the truths of her own life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly

Several murders and the repeated appearance of seven black stones, evidence of a Cherokee death curse, are featured in the third adventure (after The Redbird's Cry) of Molly Bearpaw, Hager's warm, laid-back Oklahoma investigator. The Cherokee Nation is building a bingo hall on property adjoining old Zebediah Smoke's shack; Zeb, who doesn't like it a bit, prophecies death for all who promote bingo. Pretty soon, Ed Whitekiller, who had better luck with the ladies than with steady employment, dies of car-exhaust inhalation, leaving behind an indifferent wife, a callous mistress and an upset daughter, who asks Molly for help. Molly becomes convinced that, contrary to the sheriff's opinion, Ed was not a suicide. Her hunch gains credibility when a construction worker at the bingo hall dies. Shortly before dying, each man had received seven pebbles. Zeb, however, is too old and feeble to be the killer. In effectively understated prose, Hager sets up the mystery while Molly grapples with her own personal problems: a long-distance relationship; the ghost of her mother; and a job threatened by proposed cuts in the government's grant to the Nation. Molly's mellow perseverance is a welcome respite from the angst-ridden approaches of many modern sleuths.

Publishers Weekly

Several murders and the repeated appearance of seven black stones, evidence of a Cherokee death curse, are featured in the third adventure (after The Redbird's Cry) of Molly Bearpaw, Hager's warm, laid-back Oklahoma investigator. The Cherokee Nation is building a bingo hall on property adjoining old Zebediah Smoke's shack; Zeb, who doesn't like it a bit, prophecies death for all who promote bingo. Pretty soon, Ed Whitekiller, who had better luck with the ladies than with steady employment, dies of car-exhaust inhalation, leaving behind an indifferent wife, a callous mistress and an upset daughter, who asks Molly for help. Molly becomes convinced that, contrary to the sheriff's opinion, Ed was not a suicide. Her hunch gains credibility when a construction worker at the bingo hall dies. Shortly before dying, each man had received seven pebbles. Zeb, however, is too old and feeble to be the killer. In effectively understated prose, Hager sets up the mystery while Molly grapples with her own personal problems: a long-distance relationship; the ghost of her mother; and a job threatened by proposed cuts in the government's grant to the Nation. Molly's mellow perseverance is a welcome respite from the angst-ridden approaches of many modern sleuths. (Apr.)

BookList - Emily Melton