Carnosaur Crimes: An Ansel Phoenix Mystery (Ansel Phoenix Mysteries Book 2)

when Paleoartist Ansel Phoenix Finds A Burnt Body Hanging From The Mouth Of Her Life-sized Allosaurus Replica Outside The Big Toe Natural History Museum, She Starts Digging. But She Doesn't Count On Starting A New Romance, Stumbling Over A Heinous Land-grabbing Plot, Or Being Stalked By A Deadly Nemesis From Her Childhood. kirkus Reviews unrewarding Fossil Poaching In Montana And Utah. Montana's Big Toe Natural History Museum Is In Big Trouble. Someone Has Tried To Make Off With Its Prize Possession, The Allosaurus Tracks In Its Backyard, And Died When His Equipment Blew Up. Special Agent Broderick, Working With The Bureau Of Land Management, Wants To Invalidate The Museum's Lease And Ship The Tracks To Utah. But, First, Chief Flynn And Detective Reid Dorbandt Of The Sheriff's Office Step In To Deal With The Crime. Then Along Come Fbi Agents And Consultants Overbridge, Standback And Lapierre, Who Insist They Have Jurisdiction Because The Crime Resembles Two Other Fossil Poachings Involving Transportation Across State Lines. Amerind Paleoartist Ansel Phoenix, Anxious To Keep The Big Toe Museum Open And Its Specimens Intact, Agrees To Help The Fbi Mount A Sting Operation That Thrusts Her Into The Path Of A Crooked Antiquities Dealer, Drug Suppliers And Couriers, An Old Nemesis, Rusty Flynn, Who Tried To Drown Her When She Was Five, And Assorted Tricksters With Shady Motives And Bureaucratic Allegiances. Torn Between Love For Dorbandt And Lust For Standback, Ansel Must Weather A Helicopter Crash, A Dust Storm, Radium Emissions And The Near-death Of Her Father Before All Quiets Down In Big Toe. An Overloaded Plot, Prose As Desiccated As Those Dinosaur Bones, And A Heroine (mesozoic Murder, 2003) More Imperiled Than Pauline. Montana paleoartist Ansel Phoenix, stunned by the incinerated body of the Indian blasted up into the mouth of her life-sized Allosaurus replica standing outside the Big Toe Natural History Museum, starts digging. Poachers have been cutting out fossil Carnosaur tracks along the Red Water River?an Indian poacher?and the Bureau of Land Management is threatening to close the museum and move the tracks inside an educational institution. And the FBI investigation of the man?s fatal accident, triggered by the explosion of a faulty valve on his propane-powered concrete saw, is freezing out the local cops. Who is the dead poacher? Clues point to a rodeo heritage. But a final answer will have to come from taking his head up to Billings for an attempt at facial reconstruction. Using her half-Blackfoot heritage as leverage, rancher?s daughter Ansel devises a dangerous scheme to help the Feds?is it the FBI? Or is it the BLM? Or some other agency??expose a statewide ring of dinosaur thieves. But she didn?t count on complications with commercial dealers in fossils; it?s a big money market. Or starting a new romance, or the continuation of her?partnership? with local law officer Reid Dorbandt. Or being stalked by a deadly nemesis from her childhood Montana paleoartist Ansel Phoenix, stunned by the incinerated body of the Indian blasted up into the mouth of her life-sized Allosaurus replica standing outside the Big Toe Natural History Museum, starts digging. Poachers have been cutting out fossil Carnosaur tracks along the Red Water Riveran Indian poacherand the Bureau of Land Management is threatening to close the museum and move the tracks inside an educational institution. And the FBI investigation of the mans fatal accident, triggered by the explosion of a faulty valve on his propane-powered concrete saw, is freezing out the local cops. Who is the dead poacher? Clues point to a rodeo heritage. But a final answer will have to come from taking his head up to Billings for an attempt at facial reconstruction. Using her half-Blackfoot heritage as leverage, ranchers daughter Ansel devises a dangerous scheme to help the Fedsis it the FBI? Or is it the BLM? Or some other agency?expose a statewide ring of dinosaur thieves. But she didnt count on complications with commercial dealers in fossils; its a big money market. Or starting a new romance, or the continuation of her partnership with local law officer Reid Dorbandt. Or being stalked by a deadly nemesis from her childhood. "[T]he snowballing pace will keep the reader turning the pages until the unexpected finish."—Publishers Weekly When paleoartist Ansel Phoenix finds a burnt body hanging from the mouth of her life-sized Allosaurus replica outside the Big Toe Natural History Museum, she starts digging. An Indian poacher has been cutting out fossil carnosaur tracks along the Redwater River, and the Bureau of Land Management is threatening to close the museum and move the tracks to an educational institution. And the FBI is freezing out the local cops. Using her half-Blackfoot heritage as leverage, Ansel devises a dangerous scheme to help the FBI expose a statewide fossil-poaching ring. But she didn't count on starting a new romance, stumbling over a heinous BLM land-grabbing plot, or being stalked by a deadly nemesis from her childhood. Paleoartist Ansel Phoenix is called to the Big Toe Museum in Montana after a thief is impaled on her allosaurus replica. She arrives to find the Big Toe police, LaCrosse County sheriff, the state, the FBI, and the Bureau of Land Management arguing over jurisdiction of the death. Fearing the museum will be closed as a result, Ansel begins to investigate, determined to save the museum. She soon uncovers a statewide ring of dinosaur fossil poachers, but she begins to wonder who is the real criminals really are