A corpse is discovered at Spirit Mound, a Lewis and Clark exploration site in South Dakota reputed to harbor evil spirits. Sheriff Karen Okerlund Mehaffey, newly married and wanting nothing more than to jet off on her honeymoon, must deal with a clash of white and Native cultures over an archaeological dig at the mound.

To further depress Karen's spirits, the victim was a childhood friend of her inscrutable Native American deputy. Her and Two Fingers's relationship has always been somewhat standoffish, but will this freeze it entirely despite the August heat?

From dusty museums to colorful powwows to backstabbing academia, Karen and Marek must dig far into the past for a killer in the present who's stirred ancient spirits-evil or otherwise.

DEAD SPIRITS is a character-driven police procedural. Eleventh in series. Word Count: 81,000. Occasional profanity. Minimal gore.