The American Café (A Sadie Walela Mystery)

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. When Sadie Walela decided to pursue her childhood dream of owning a restaurant, she had no idea that murder would be on the menu. In this second book in the Sadie Walela series, our Indian Country heroine follows in the footsteps of her great-aunt Vera and discovers life as an entrepreneur is not easy. On her first day she is threatened by Pearl Mobley, the town's resident crazy woman and then Goldie Ray--the former owner of the American Cafe ;--turns up dead and Pearl confesses to the crime before killing herself, leaving too many unanswered questions. Depending on the intuition and perseverance drawn from her Cherokee ancestry, Sadie sets out to get the answers. She reunites with an old friend, Lance Smith, who has just been hired as second in command on a two-man police force. Sadie and Lance--together with an unlikely cast of characters, including a mysterious Creek Indian named Red who seems to always be underfoot, the police chief whose radio handle is Deputy Dawg, Pearl's angry Marine son just home from Iraq, and Goldie's grieving sister and alcoholic niece--all come together to create a multilayered story of denial and deceit. Uncovering motives like stories of rape, a stolen baby, and under-the-table adoption, Sadie strives to untangle old relationships and family secrets, eventually discovering she is untangling far more than a murder 2012 WILLA Literary Award Winner: Best Original Softcover Fiction 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. 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