Book Review Rabbit Moon

Jan D. Payne's newest mystery novel, “Rabbit Moon,” is set on the Dinétah, the traditional homeland of the Diné or Navajo, Indigenous people of the American Southwest. Payne uses her personal experiences and upbringing in the Four Corners to craft a suspenseful modern-day novel of intrigue, fraught with tension, exploration of mythical legends, and unexpected connections. Payne's diverse and closely knit, well-developed characters navigate between the modern and traditional ways of the people. She has created a world where characters rediscover the past while forging new connections. Marin Sinclair is the protagonist, and her narrative switches back and forth between her growing-up years as the only white girl on the reservation and her present job as an end-of-life doula.

Marin Sinclair doesn't expect her life to be in danger when she answers a mysterious plea for help from a long-ago friend and returns to Dinetah, the Navajo Nation. Her past there holds memories that she is reluctant to confront. Her life is threatened as she questions the “why” of someone wanting to kill her? Navajo Nation Police Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes shares a connection with Marin from the past, and he has a few questions of his own when Marin disappears―such as why the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agents investigating the abandoned uranium mines on the reservation and Marin's connection. She switches to survival mode with unknown killers in pursuit, motivated by greed and power.

From a reader's perspective, I found the plot intriguing, keeping my interest throughout the story. I found the legend associated with the book's title to be enlightening.  Uranium mining on the reservation, with its lasting impact on the environment and health concerns, plus the existence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, were informative pieces interwoven into the storyline. Since “Rabbit Moon” is Book One in the series, readers can look forward to following Marin Sinclair in the next book.

All About The Author Jan D. Payne

Northwoods Arts Council was fortunate to have Jan join the recent Northwoods Art and Book Festival in August.

Drawing from her years in the Southwest and the Navajo Nation, Jan Payne writes about courage, regret, hope, and restoration in a world of created kinships.

Jan Payne lived on the Dineh (Navajo) reservation in Sanostee, on the New Mexico side of the Lukachukai mountain range. There, she spent summers climbing mesas, taking horseback camping trips, exploring ghost towns in the mountains of Colorado, or working with her dad breaking and training horses. Her two most memorable summer jobs were at a Durango, Colorado, dude ranch working with pack mule trains and a brief stint as a camp cook at a uranium mining site.

A graduate of Shiprock High School in Shiprock, New Mexico, she also holds university and medical degrees and a graduate degree in Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she focused on writing redemptive fiction.
Jan is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West and lives in the Leech Lake area of northern Minnesota with her husband and three big dogs—Kaibab, Rudi, and Orrin.