Snake Dreams
Authors: James D. Doss
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Praise for James D. Doss and his
CHARLIE MOON MYSTERIES
Three Sisters
“One of his best yet!”
—Booklist
“Wild, authentic…and highly satisfying.”
—Detroit Free Press
“A finely cut gem.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“James D. Doss’ novels about Charlie Moon…feel as if the author is sitting around a campfire, spinning a tall tale that engulfs a circle of listeners…Doss’ tale is evocative of the area and of Indian lore, and his chatty, down-home style shines in
Three Sisters
.”
—Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Doss’s trademark humor keeps Charlie and Scott wisecracking as the plot spins smartly along to an unpredictable ending…Moon mysteries still charm us with Western voices and ways.”
—Rocky Mountain News
Stone Butterfly
“Style, pathos, enthusiasm, and humor to spare.”
—Mystery Scene
“A clever plot…will keep readers turning the pages.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The Moon series deftly blends traditional mystery elements with Native American mythology—a surefire read-alike for Hillerman fans.”
—Booklist
“Droll, crafty, upper-echelon reading.”
—Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
Shadow Man
“Doss likes to toss a little Native American spiritualism and a lot of local color into his mysteries. Fans of the series will be well pleased.”
—Booklist
“Fans of Daisy Perika, the 80-something shaman who brings much of the charm and supernatural thrill to James D. Doss’ mystery series, should like
Shadow Man
…nice reading.”
—Rocky Mountain News
The Witch’s Tongue
“With all the skill and timing of a master magician, Doss unfolds a meticulous plot laced with a delicious sense of humor and set against a vivid southern Colorado.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Doss’s ear for Western voices is remarkable, his tone whimsical.... If you don’t have time for the seven-hour drive from Denver to Pagosa, try
The Witch’s Tongue
for a taste of southern Colorado.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“A classy bit of storytelling that combines myth, dreams, and plot complications so wily they’ll rattle your synapses and tweak your sense of humor.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Dead Soul
“Hillerman gets the most press, but Doss mixes an equally potent brew of crime and Native American spirituality.”
—Booklist
“Lyrical and he gets the sardonic, macho patter between men down cold. The finale is heartfelt and unexpected, and a final confrontation stuns with its violent and confessional precision.”
—Providence Journal Bulletin
The Shaman Laughs
“A mystery that combines the ancient and the modern, the sacred and the profane, with grace and suspense.”
—Publishers Weekly
The Shaman Sings
“Stunning.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review; named Best Book of the Year)
“Doss mixes an equally potent brew of crime and Native American spirituality.”
—Booklist
Also by James D. Doss
Three Sisters
Stone Butterfly
Shadow Man
The Witch’s Tongue
Dead Soul
White Shell Woman
Grandmother Spider
The Night Visitor
The Shaman’s Game
The Shaman’s Bones
The Shaman Laughs
The Shaman Sings
nake
D
reams
James D. Doss
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE:
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SNAKE DREAMS
Copyright © 2008 by James D. Doss.
Excerpt from
The Widow’s Revenge
copyright © 2009 by James D. Doss.
Cover photo © Getty Images.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008025099
EAN: 978-0-312-94505-3
Printed in the United States of America
Minotaur hardcover edition / November 2008
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2009
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Gerald Plain
La Grange, Kentucky
Nightmare
Yours? Not tonight.
This particular horror is reserved for two souls already deep in sleep—and a third who burns with a perverse appetite.
You have nothing to fear from this nasty business.
Unless . . .
Unless you should assume too intimate an interest, allow yourself to become unduly absorbed—irretrievably
entangled
.
Not a chance?
Very well.
But there are invariably some who do. A few. Perhaps one or two.
For those reckless souls, the following cautions are hereby provided.
First, a suggestion: Refrain from focusing too closely on the stark desert dreamscape—such intense concentration is likely to unduly excite the fertile imagination, which will conjure up all manner of poisonous viper, rabid rodent, and other vile nocturnal characters that slither and scuttle about in the darkness.
Second, a recommendation: Do not incline your ear to the unwary pair’s sighs and groans and snores and moans, and firmly refuse to hear the lurid murmurings of the third wretched creature, who—in frantic anticipation of the atrocity—
giggles.
Last, this warning: Remain where you are. Resist any temptation to drift off into the shadowlands, and beware any glib
stranger who might invite you to witness the unsavory event. Yielding to such an enticement could prove dangerous.
WHILE NO
guarantee of absolute safety is made or implied, paying close heed to the aforementioned counsel should keep you reasonably—
What—you have already crossed that beckoning boundary, are even now entering into the dismal regions?
Then it is too late.
You have purchased your share of the nightmare.
Be advised that all such transactions are final.
There are no refunds.