

The mystery revolves around scientific research, organ donors (the Fire Sky People have to be buried intact, so they aren't donors), and DNA. It then made me wonder if the customs and rituals I had just enjoyed learning so much about were also fictional, but from online interviews with Potenza I gather that those are based on research (Potenza's sister in law is a police officer in a New Mexico Pueblo). Tribal customs, rituals, and cultural beliefs play a big part in this novel, so I was a little disappointed when I found out the tribe was fictional.

Nicky Matthews is a white, female, police sergeant whose job is to police the local Fire Sky pueblo (Fire Sky is a fictitious tribe), with customs based on those of the Apache.
