The American Café
The University of Arizona Press
ISBN 978-0-8165-2922-3

When Sadie Walela decides to pursue her childhood dream of owning a restaurant, she has no idea that murder will be on the menu.

In this second book in the Sadie Walela series, set in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, Sadie discovers life as an entrepreneur is not as easy as she anticipated. On her first day, she is threatened by the town’s resident "crazy" woman and the former owner of The American Café turns up dead, engulfing the café – and Sadie herself – in a cloud of suspicion and unanswered questions.

Drawing on the intuition and perseverance of her Cherokee ancestry, Sadie is determined to get some answers when an old friend unexpectedly turns up to lend a hand. A diverse cast of characters, including a mysterious Creek Indian, a corrupt police chief, an angry Marine home from Iraq, and the victim’s grieving sister and alcoholic niece, all come together to create a multilayered story of denial and deceit.

While striving to untangle relationships and old family secrets, Sadie ends up unraveling far more than a murder.

Harlan McKosato of the national radio talk show Native America Calling says "Hoklotubbe's writing is like fine wine . . . DECEPTION ON ALL ACCOUNTS was good, the sequel, THE AMERICAN CAFE is even better.”   To listen to the entire interview go to http://www.nativeamericacalling.com/nac_past.shtml#feb and scroll down to Wednesday, February 23, 2011– Book of the Month: The American Café

Great characters and an authentic Native American setting (Oklahoma’s Cherokee country) make this second series title a good pick for Tony Hillerman fans. 

~ Library Journal

An absorbing mystery that draws the reader into the rich history, culture and landscape of Cherokee Country. The American Café has all of the twists and turns expected in a first-rate mystery, but those are only part of its charm. A gifted story teller, Sara Hoklotubbe writes of family, the fragile ties that bind people together and the links to the past that are always just below the surface of things. Compassionate and wonderful!

~Margaret Coel, author of The Spider’s Web.

The American Cafe is an intriguing, well written, carefully paced mystery. Sara Sue Hoklotubbe does an excellent job of depicting the people of Liberty and the complexities of small town life in a world where families, law enforcement, whites and Native Americans don’t always get along.

~Judith Van Gieson, author of the award winning Neil Hamel Mysteries series.

Five stars to The American Cafe, a riveting and lyrical novel. Sara Hoklotubbe draws on her Oklahoma and Cherokee heritage to create an absorbing tale with an appealing protagonist. Mystery lovers will be enchanted.

~Carolyn Hart, author of Letter from Home

The American Café has an intriguing murder on its menu because Sara Sue Hoklotubbe has mastered the craft of cooking up an intriguing mystery while bringing alive the multi-cultural complexities of contemporary Indian Country life in small town Oklahoma in her Sadie Walela mystery series.

~D.L. Birchfield, author of Field of Honor
 

DECEPTION ON ALL ACCOUNTS
The University of Arizona Press
ISBN 978-0816523115

Is murder always a simple transaction? Don't bank on it.

Sadie Walela's life is about to be turned upside down.

Sadie is a blue-eyed Cherokee living in northeastern Oklahoma, a half-blood who finds she sometimes has to adapt to get by in the white man's world, much as her father's ancestors did. In this story of robbery, murder, love, and intrigue, she faces adversity at each bend in the road, but in the tradition of her people she adapts and moves forward--even if it means having to re-think her relationships and expectations.

Set against the backdrop of small-town Oklahoma and its Native culture, "Deception on All Accounts" draws readers into the real lives of contemporary American Indians as it shines a light on violence, corporate corruption, and prejudice in modern America. As Sadie Walela comes to terms with murder, romance, and her hopes for a career, she finds deception on all accounts.
 

"Sara Sue Hoklotubbe takes a fresh plot idea, adds her clear-eyed Cherokee view of tribal thinking and small town Oklahoma banking, and gives us a dandy mystery novel. Don’t miss it."
~Tony Hillerman

"Seldom have I read a novel that I enjoyed this much. The book is written with a tight, fast-paced style that engages and holds the reader throughout."
~Louis Owens

"Deception on All Accounts is an impressive debut. Sara Sue Hoklotubbe is a skillful writer with a fine eye for the details that bring characters and settings to life. "
~Judith Van Gieson

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