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Emmett Parker and Anna Turnipseed #4
Sky Woman Falling
On the New York reservation of the Oneida, FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed and Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker find the broken body of a community elder who seems to have fallen out of the sky--much like the woman in the Oneida creation myth. But it's a land dispute that's taken her life--and threatening to ground Turnipseed and Parker in facts far stranger than fiction.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Kirk Mitchell
35 books68 followersKirk Mitchell is an author who is known for his time travel, alternate history, historical fiction, and adventure fiction novels. Mitchell has also created several novelizations of movies.He writes under the pseudonym of Joel Norst
Kirk Mitchell served as a deputy sheriff on the Paiute- Shoshone Indian reservations of the desert country that includes Death Valley, and was a SWAT sergeant in southern California, before beginning his career as a full-time writer.
Kirk Mitchell served as a deputy sheriff on the Paiute- Shoshone Indian reservations of the desert country that includes Death Valley, and was a SWAT sergeant in southern California, before beginning his career as a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 15, 2020
2.5. I enjoyed the book mostly, though I figured it all out at about 60%. Also, I’m angry that it presents dissociative identity disorder as not being real while at the same time using it as a means of violence. People with D.I.D. are much more likely to either self-harm or be harmed by others.
January 30, 2021
I listened to a little over half of this audiobook then I read a review with a spoiler (with no spoiler warning!) and I can't bring myself to finish the book. It was just ok for me before the spoiler.
September 15, 2024
This was the first "Parker & Turnipseed" book I've read, and I doubt I'd read another. It was certainly an unusual death to start off the book, a Native American woman falling from the sky in January from what? That was the biggest mystery of all since no plane flew overhead at the time of her fall, and definitely no passenger was missing from a plane.
I was always a bit confused as to why her death would benefit the killer. The murders that followed were also rather unnecessary, it seemed. It was a complicated storyline and I found it hard to keep all the investigators from different agencies straight. If it had been only Parker and Turnipseed, the two Native American detectives with the FBI, plus a couple others at the airport and Syracuse County in New York, I might have handled it.
Anyway, I won't waste my time delving into this further. Part of the ending was very satisfying, but the very last couple of pages, when Turnipseed visits Parker as he's still bedridden after an attack with an axe, that's just strange. I wouldn't recommend it.
I was always a bit confused as to why her death would benefit the killer. The murders that followed were also rather unnecessary, it seemed. It was a complicated storyline and I found it hard to keep all the investigators from different agencies straight. If it had been only Parker and Turnipseed, the two Native American detectives with the FBI, plus a couple others at the airport and Syracuse County in New York, I might have handled it.
Anyway, I won't waste my time delving into this further. Part of the ending was very satisfying, but the very last couple of pages, when Turnipseed visits Parker as he's still bedridden after an attack with an axe, that's just strange. I wouldn't recommend it.
May 11, 2016
Mitchell has crafted another positive, strong story interwoven with Native American mythology, but without the red-on-white issues that were so strong in the previous book. There is some of that, but the main story is more focused on the rebellious youth and the mystery of how a tribal medicine woman (some say witch) died.
The romance between Turnipseed and Parker is background, and even when there are romantic events, they aren't truly pivotal, or made to seem so to move the story. That makes them even more powerful when they occur.
The main story deals with the falling death of a native woman, and the mysterious group of white people who are supposedly fighting to keep their land. It did bring up a bit of discussion, because repatriation is never just: there is simply no right answer, and this book helps bring up that point.
The stories of cold and wet were not as powerful as they could have been, as they seemed to deal with tales told of warmer weather than upstate New York was 'enjoying'. The bone-freezing cold that was supposedly in the story wouldn't leave a warm weather person traipsing around as lively as the agents were, so that was hard to believe.
Add to that the fact that the how was obvious early on, and only the why needed to be revealed, and this fell from a 5-star rating.
Overall though it was a very good read with a powerful story wrapped around it and a strong reminder that nothing is perfect and one person's win comes with another person's loss!
The romance between Turnipseed and Parker is background, and even when there are romantic events, they aren't truly pivotal, or made to seem so to move the story. That makes them even more powerful when they occur.
The main story deals with the falling death of a native woman, and the mysterious group of white people who are supposedly fighting to keep their land. It did bring up a bit of discussion, because repatriation is never just: there is simply no right answer, and this book helps bring up that point.
The stories of cold and wet were not as powerful as they could have been, as they seemed to deal with tales told of warmer weather than upstate New York was 'enjoying'. The bone-freezing cold that was supposedly in the story wouldn't leave a warm weather person traipsing around as lively as the agents were, so that was hard to believe.
Add to that the fact that the how was obvious early on, and only the why needed to be revealed, and this fell from a 5-star rating.
Overall though it was a very good read with a powerful story wrapped around it and a strong reminder that nothing is perfect and one person's win comes with another person's loss!
October 8, 2013
FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed, a Modoc, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker, a Commanche, are sent to the upstate New York reservation of the Oneida nation to investigate the unbelievable. It appears that the broken body of an Oneida elder, Brenda Two Kettles, simply fell out of the sky. Is her death connected to the 1985 Supreme Court decision that ruled for the Oneida in their quest to have 270,000 acres returned to their ownership--land that is now owned by whites? And, as the evidence unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the case is connected in some way to the creation story of the Oneida nation. My favorite part of the this book is the information about Native American spirtuality, history, and culture that permeates the plot.
April 21, 2015
This was the second of Kirk Mitchell's works with Emmett Parker and Anna Turnipseed, and while I still like his use of Native American mythology in the stories, and the romantic tension between the partners, the graphic descriptions of child abuse left me completely turned off. It seems that some time in the past twenty years, references to child abuse became a popular writers' "go to" rationale for a characters deviance. Perhaps I am naive, probably I am naive, but I think it's not as prevalent as our modern fiction would indicate, and certainly not the reason behind people choosing to live in their "dark side."
I still want to learn more about what happens to Emmett and Anna, and I like how Mitchell conducts his mysteries, but enough of the graphic child abuse!
I still want to learn more about what happens to Emmett and Anna, and I like how Mitchell conducts his mysteries, but enough of the graphic child abuse!
February 26, 2014
Very solidly written mystery with descriptions on par with a good Hillerman novel. Being familiar with Southwestern Native America much more so than other parts of the U.S., I found the descriptions of the cosmology, spirituality, and symbolism of the Haudenosaunee and Oneida truly enthralling and beautiful. The characters are complex and have enough depth and breadth to be believable - and both likable and despicable. The suspense and tension of the plot were very well balanced with the action. I will definitely be reading more from this author and highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, Native America, or a combination of both.
July 7, 2012
All around a pretty interesting story, blending a contemporary issue (Oneida land rights in upper New York state) with a good plot. Unfortunately the ending was transparent early on to the reader and it was just a matter of getting to it. On the other hand, as with Tony Hillerman novels, one does learn a good bit about American Indian culture, history and spirituality (specifically Modoc, Commanche and Oneida).
July 27, 2013
This is the 2nd book I've attempted to read in this series. At a certain point in both novels, I have found myself uncaring about the characters, the story and the out one and I quit reading the book. I think Kirk Mitchell so overwhelms the plot with history and anthropology of Native Americans the writing would make.a better text book.
January 11, 2009
I relearned the Creation Story of the Haudenosaunee along with learning some Oneida words and some of their History.
The Mystery was awesome, NEVER in a million years would I have EVER figured out how the Murders were done.
What an imagination!
The Mystery was awesome, NEVER in a million years would I have EVER figured out how the Murders were done.
What an imagination!
July 29, 2013
Great look at the tensions between Indians and local communities. Kirk Mitchell always develops his characters and makes you care about all of them, even the bad ones. Lots of twists and turns in the plot.
July 20, 2014
Very good Parker & Turnipseed novel about the murder of an Oneida Reservation woman who plummets from the sky. Well written and exciting, although I did not buy the last two pages at all. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and Native American stories.
August 20, 2009
Excellent crime mystery thriller set in central NY around Indian sovereignty issues.
February 24, 2020
Loved this book.
September 22, 2019
SKY WOMAN FALLING, Kirk Mitchell, 2003
The team of FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed, a Modoc Indian, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker, a Comanche, have their work cut out for them when they take on the investigation of the death of Brenda Two Kettles, an elder woman from the Oneida tribe who was a leading voice in opposition of the tribal council in a bitter land dispute. There is a particularly strange element to the death of the woman, who was found in a cornfield having fallen from the sky, much like the creation story of Oneida myth. Turnipseed and Parker are outsiders here, making the investigation all that more difficult, as the local people close ranks and won't talk to them. The two investigators are also treading carefully on the ashes of their own past involvement with each other, something neither wants to acknowledge or talk about, and yet it looms large between them. The plot is well-done, and moves briskly along. The characters are well-developed, and there is much to enjoy in the information shared about the Oneidas and their history, which is well-integrated into the narrative and flows seamlessly into the story. The only part I didn't like is the brutality of the murders and the torture of a teen boy, which takes up a great deal of the book. So while I was invested in the book and stayed with it until the end, I won't be reading another in the series.
The team of FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed, a Modoc Indian, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker, a Comanche, have their work cut out for them when they take on the investigation of the death of Brenda Two Kettles, an elder woman from the Oneida tribe who was a leading voice in opposition of the tribal council in a bitter land dispute. There is a particularly strange element to the death of the woman, who was found in a cornfield having fallen from the sky, much like the creation story of Oneida myth. Turnipseed and Parker are outsiders here, making the investigation all that more difficult, as the local people close ranks and won't talk to them. The two investigators are also treading carefully on the ashes of their own past involvement with each other, something neither wants to acknowledge or talk about, and yet it looms large between them. The plot is well-done, and moves briskly along. The characters are well-developed, and there is much to enjoy in the information shared about the Oneidas and their history, which is well-integrated into the narrative and flows seamlessly into the story. The only part I didn't like is the brutality of the murders and the torture of a teen boy, which takes up a great deal of the book. So while I was invested in the book and stayed with it until the end, I won't be reading another in the series.
December 13, 2020
An unusual crime fiction featuring Emmet Parker (Comanche) and Anna Turnipseed (Modoc) as special agents sent to Oneida territory to solve a murder. The usual suspicion is locals versus the reservation with a symbolic crime of a woman literally falling out of the sky into a local farmer's cornfield. The agents/outsiders must step in and from complete darkness piece together bits of light until they eventually see the complicated path to solve the murder. The beginning is tough because there is so much to take in, and the agents must plod through every lead. The story of Hazen Two Kettles and all the people who let him down is tragic and I wished it had ended differently. There is also the ongoing "relationship" that almost was between Emmet and Anna to contend with, which complicates the agents working together. Anna has learned so much from Emmet and when they both risk their lives, and she must move on with solving the case without him, his influence continues to guide her. The climax of the book is very intense and twisted, but, the special agents prevail. Good book.
June 11, 2021
Agents Parker and Turnipseed are send to upstate New York to investigate the death of an Oneida woman. They question why they are brought into this and not the locals. There is some turf wars with various agencies. They learn a lot about the land rights issues involving the Oneidas. There are differences in opinions on it both outside the tribe and within the tribe. There is an undercurrent of romantic tension between the two agents that is unresolved. Both have difficult pasts that come into play in how they function and think.
The author gives a lot of history about land rights issues and the tribes of each of the major characters (Modoc, Oneida, Commanche). He discusses some of the difficulties of Native Americans when it comes to poverty, drugs and how some tribal leaders take advantage of the rest of the members. He also brings into play a divided personality in the form of the bad guy. Greed is at the heart of the original crime and it flows from there with other murders happening some stemming from the investigation.
The author gives a lot of history about land rights issues and the tribes of each of the major characters (Modoc, Oneida, Commanche). He discusses some of the difficulties of Native Americans when it comes to poverty, drugs and how some tribal leaders take advantage of the rest of the members. He also brings into play a divided personality in the form of the bad guy. Greed is at the heart of the original crime and it flows from there with other murders happening some stemming from the investigation.
December 31, 2020
Emmett Parker is a Comanche by birth and a Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator by trade. Anna Turnipseed is a Modoc Indian by birth and an FBI Agent by trade. Because crimes on Indian land or involving Native Americans often call for tribal investigators, these two wind up working together on a number of cases. This one involves the death of an Oneida (New York) tribal leader who somehow “fell from the sky” into a cornfield. Yes, she was supposed to be on a plane, but no one saw her there. What really happened? Did the bad feelings between the “whites” and the “Indians” over ownership of land bring about her death? Do the strange dreams that come to Anna contain clues? What’s going on here??? ---I found the book a bit confusing in parts. I think if I had read previous books in the series so I knew the background history between Anna and Emmett it might have been better.
January 4, 2021
i am a Tony Hillerman fan. When I discovered Kirk Mitchell it was a grand literary day!
His experience as a peace officer holding many differing roles in the Southwest gives his mysteries an authenticity that shines through.
This book (one of a series with two native American peace officers) takes place, not in the southwest, but in Iroquois country - northeast. The mystery was complex. The characters interesting. The native American religious background, particularly the Creation Story, was fascinating. This is the second book in the series that I have read and will definitely read more.
August 14, 2021
This time Emmett & Anna are involved with a murder that takes place in New York state. A Native American woman has actually fallen from the sky. Again working with the culture of yet another tribe/ clan with a different origination story. Emmett is mortally wounded by the killers so Anna continues the investigation while Emmett lays in the hospital. It's a tangle web of intrigue but Turnipseed figures out a tribal counselor was using one of his very damaged patients to get rid of tribal counsel member that he didn't agree with on a land dispute. But its the end of the book... Mr Mitchell throws us a little curve ball or in this case the old cliff hanger!!
September 28, 2020
Clever plot but disappointing ending
Needed better editing. Decent writing, spelling and punctuation correct but mistakes with word choices. Example: transverse was written when the correct word was traverse. Good sense of place --Syracuse NY area and the Oneida Reservation. Although the story was intriguing with lots of information about the Oneida peoples and their struggles, the truly important plot threads were never really tied up and the ending was rushed with a silly sex scene at the very end.
Needed better editing. Decent writing, spelling and punctuation correct but mistakes with word choices. Example: transverse was written when the correct word was traverse. Good sense of place --Syracuse NY area and the Oneida Reservation. Although the story was intriguing with lots of information about the Oneida peoples and their struggles, the truly important plot threads were never really tied up and the ending was rushed with a silly sex scene at the very end.
October 11, 2020
Enjoyed this read
This is the first book i have read by this author. The story was slow to begin or maybe I was slow about catching into the plot.....in any case, I enjoyed the book. I enjoy reading about native culture. I am a sociologist at heart. I enjoy reading plots about finding answers to why things are happening the way they are or why are things the way they are. It takes all working together to find the truth.
This is the first book i have read by this author. The story was slow to begin or maybe I was slow about catching into the plot.....in any case, I enjoyed the book. I enjoy reading about native culture. I am a sociologist at heart. I enjoy reading plots about finding answers to why things are happening the way they are or why are things the way they are. It takes all working together to find the truth.
November 27, 2020
Whew! A long and ponderous journey to a conclusion fairly obvious 2/3 in. I was bored most of the time by the characters, but carried on because of the Native American history and mythology. That is where my 2 stars reside! There was too much gratuitous violence for my tastes - I glossed over descriptions of torture and killing. This story might make a good crime drama movie. I struggled to get through it...
December 27, 2020
Interesting puzzle of a murder- an elderly Oneida Indian woman who died after falling out of the sky- but how did that happen? Two investigators, a Comanche Bureau of Indian Affairs man, and a Modoc FBI woman, with an (almost) intimate past are tasked with finding out how and why it happened. It's a dangerous venture, and there are many injuries and several deaths. Some of the different tribal myths and customs were very interesting as well.
June 21, 2021
On the New York reservation of the Oneida, FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed and Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker find the broken body of a community elder who seems to have fallen out of the sky--much like the woman in the Oneida creation myth. But it's a land dispute that's taken her life--and threatening to ground Turnipseed and Parker in facts far stranger than fiction.
July 8, 2019
3 based on the interesting main characters who I'd like to know better, and on the smattering of Native American folklore, culture and historical references. 2 based on the writing....forced sometimes, unnecessarily repetitive....maybe needs editing. The story itself was OK.
September 28, 2020
Intense
Very interesting mystery regarding the police, the Native American culture, and relationships. It does border on too "out there" with the number of deaths and lack of showing interagency work.
Very interesting mystery regarding the police, the Native American culture, and relationships. It does border on too "out there" with the number of deaths and lack of showing interagency work.
December 13, 2020
Good yarn with lots of twists
Inventive plot development and suspenseful narrative style. Likeable protagonists and an ingenious method of disposing of inconvenient bodies. I would have liked more detail of the technology. Could have used a good copy editor.Too many typos.
Inventive plot development and suspenseful narrative style. Likeable protagonists and an ingenious method of disposing of inconvenient bodies. I would have liked more detail of the technology. Could have used a good copy editor.Too many typos.
April 24, 2021
I generally like this series. Maybe it’s because of where my head is at the moment, but I found it arduous. It seemed to ramble along, the plot was muddled and it just wasn’t sure of what it’s focus was.
November 16, 2023
Liked the story. The narrators changed from the first 3 books in the series and not for the better. It doesn't matter how good the story is if the person reading it can't make the character come to life properly. The New narrators ruined the experience for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews