Suspicions run high when murder mixes with identity theft in the latest installment of the popular Sadie Walela mystery series set in Cherokee Country. No sooner does Sadie embark on an unexpected business trip to the beautiful island of Maui when her long-time neighbor, Buck Skinner, a full-blood Cherokee and World War II veteran, goes missing and becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a petty identity thief.

Iconic lawman Lance Smith joins a community-wide search, but Buck is nowhere to be found. As evidence mounts against her old friend, Sadie rushes to return home to help—only to be delayed by an island-wide earthquake and her own sinking suspicions.

A diverse cast of characters weave together a breathless story of murder, thievery, and the toll of war on the human spirit. In her effort to restore balance to her neighbor’s life, Sadie not only uncovers the truth, but unravels much more than a murder.
 

Sara Sue Hoklotubbe, a Cherokee tribal citizen, is the author of the award-winning Sadie Walela Mystery series. The American Café received the New Mexico-Arizona Mystery Book of the Year Award, the WILLA Literary Award, and the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Mystery of the Year Award. Sara won the Writer of the Year Award from Wordcraft Circle for Deception on All Accounts. She and her husband live in Colorado.

"Hoklotubbe uses her experiences growing up in Oklahoma as a Cherokee tribal citizen to add interest to her mystery."—Kirkus

"Likeable characters remain vivid and linger long after the book is put down. . . . a quick, enjoyable read."—Maui News

“Sara Sue Hoklotubbe’s Sinking Suspicions will weave its way into the tapestry of your literary life with characters that will charm you, frighten you, and, best of all, surprise you—one heck of a good read.”—Craig Johnson, New York Times Best-Selling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries and the basis of A&E’s hit drama Longmire

“In Sinking Suspicions, Sara Sue Hoklotubbe’s third Sadie Walela mystery, her likable and resourceful heroine takes a solitary trip to Hawaii. On her way to the islands, Sadie learns that a Cherokee neighbor has gone missing and that her partner Lance is doing his best to find him. Sadie’s island journey, full of light and enchantment, is described beautifully by Hoklotubbe. Meanwhile, back in Oklahoma, Lance’s crime solving is full of darkness. Hoklotubbe deftly explores the darkness and the light in this fascinating mystery.”—Judith Van Gieson, author of the Neil Hamel and Claire Reynier mystery series
 

“Hoklotubbe does an excellent job of maintaining tension, as chapters alternate between Sadie in Hawai’i, Lance in Oklahoma, and Buck stuck somewhere in the wilderness, creating a race against time as the story lines interweave."—Foreword Reviews
 
“This third series outing set in Oklahoma's Cherokee country is leisurely paced and will attract fans of Jean Hager and her 'Mitch Bushyhead' and 'Molly Bearpaw' books.'"—Library Journal

 

“Action, romance, and even bit of World War II history combine to make Sinking Suspicions a memorable story that leaves readers satisfied—and with a grin on our faces. Sara Sue Hoklotubbe returns to the world of spunky Sadie Walela, a can-do Cherokee crime solver with a heart as big as the plains of her native Oklahoma.”—Anne Hillerman, author of the New York Times Best-Selling Spider Woman’s Daughter

“Hoklotubbe deftly makes everything work without wasting words. By reading the series, one learns not only about Cherokee culture and Northeastern Oklahoma, but also gets the joy of learning insider information about a variety of careers.”—Whispering Wind