Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums - by John Roskelley (Paperback)

About the Book

"A nine-year-old Nez Perce Fancy Shawl pow wow dancer, Beth Louie, is killed on the reservation by a hit-and-run drunk driver while walking home from the bus stop with her younger brother. Tire marks and boot tracks on the remote gravel road suggest to a Colville tribal member Ben Moses and his grandson, Alex, who find the two children, that the driver of a pick-up truck tampered with the scene and evidence, and hid the body. Tribal law enforcement and the FBI are stymied, but evidence points to a white cattle rancher from Omak as the prime suspect. In the prejudicial environment of the 1950s, will an all-white Spokane jury convict and send the killer to jail?" --Adapted from book jacket.

Book Synopsis

A nine-year-old Nez Perce Fancy Shawl pow wow dancer, Beth Louie, is killed on the reservation by a hit-and-run drunk driver while walking home from the bus stop with her younger brother. Tire marks and boot tracks on the remote gravel road suggest to a Colville tribal member Ben Moses and his grandson, Alex, who find the two children, that the driver of a pick-up truck tampered with the scene and evidence, and hid the body. Tribal law enforcement and the FBI are stymied, but evidence points to a white cattle rancher from Omak as the prime suspect. In the prejudicial environment of the 1950s, will an all-white Spokane jury convict and send the killer to jail?

Review Quotes

Roskelley, a writer and adventurer familiar with characters who are defined by their terrain, tells a sweeping tale of Eastern Washington, with its mix of Indigenous and White characters, spanning over 50 years. The focus of the story is on Pete Louie's family, including his wife Ann, and children Danny and Beth. But there are many memorable characters along the way, including Charlie Whitehorse, who doesn't miss a thing, Alex and Ben Moses, and Jack and Jake Johnson whose existence threatens the lives of our main characters. Roskelley makes his characters come alive, without falling into classic White man and Indian cliches, to tell a tragic story that resonates to present day.

Washington State University - Review of Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums