4 stars
I enjoyed reading this mystery, set in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It starts with Meg Harris getting a phone call from a lawyer in Yellowknife, NWT, telling her that her husband, Eric Odjik has been arrested for murder. She lives in Quebec, north of Ottawa, Ontario. She flies to Yellowknife from Ottawa, determined to prove Eric innocent. Eric is a member of the Dene First Nations tribe in NWT. But he was sent to a white couple for adoption, under the "civilization" policy that Canada used to take First Nations people from their families.
He has reconnected with his people and visits them enough that he was recently elected a Dene chief. Meg gets to Yellowknife and finds that the Crown has a strong case against Eric. His lawyer tells her that the Crown is offering a plea deal and Eric is about to take it. She starts asking questions, and with the help of Eric's Uncle Joe, uncovers the truth. But there is more than one criminal and sorting out who did what to whom had me guessing until almost the end of the book.
There is some violence, but no graphic description of violence, so I would call it a cozy mystery. I liked that the author has woven First Nation Dene traditions into the story. I think Tony Hillerman fans would enjoy this book. It is book 8 in the series, but it read ok for me as a standalone.
Thanks to NetGalley, Dundurn and R.J. Harlick for sending me this ebook.

With her husband, Eric Odjik - Grand Chief of the Grand Council of First Nations, under arrest for murder and her stepdaughter - Teht’aa Bluegoose, in a hospital near death, Meg Harris is convinced the two crimes are linked, and not in the way the police believe. She must overcome her fear of leaving her sanctuary of Three Deer Point and fly to Yellowknife to prove his innocence. In her search for justice, she finds a tangled web of family secrets and greed that she must unravel if she is to free the only man she has ever loved. Fragments of an ancient embroidery give her clues that guide her on her way and lead her to a remote Dene hunting camp where all is not as it seems and she meets members of her husband’s family that she has not met before.
Throughout the book, I could sense the author’s love for Canada’s untamed wilds and the people who inhabit them. The novel highlights the plight of FASD – foetal alcohol spectrum disorder amongst the Algonquin people and the abuse that many children suffered at the Catholic residential schools they were forced to attend. It also brings to life the ancestral use of oral maps and the rich culture of story-telling to keep the history of a people alive. After reading the book I definitely want to read the other books by the author – her storytelling takes me to places that I would love to visit but know that the only way I shall visit them is in my imagination as I create pictures with the words that are written. Her book allowed me to mingle amongst people with whom I would be very at home and to be part of the rich Algonquin culture.
Saphira
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Meg Harris is recuperating from a nightmare event when she receives a call from a lawyer in Yellowknife telling her that her husband has been arrested for murder and her daughter is in a coma in the hospital. She must force herself to leave the sanctuary of her home to go to their assistance. When she arrives, she finds secrets, lies, and mysteries that all seem centered around some torn pieces of embroidery depicting purple flowers. As she searches to find the truth and free her husband, she ventures deep into a backcountry that is reminiscent of William Kent Krueger's boundary waters. At the same time, the depths to which humans can fall as they satisfy their own greed are revealed. There's a consistent understory about what happened at the Christian schools to which Canada's indigenous children were sent, adding an overall sense of sadness to the book but providing for final redemption. Meg's character is fully developed, even in this 8th book in the series, as well as several of the other more important characters. Other characters are a bit more stereotypical. The book captivates, and it kept me up late to reach the denouement.

Awesome! First of all, thanks to the publisher for the ARC which allowed me to discover this series, which I don't think has been widely available in the US before. I didn't have the least problem becoming immediately engaged in this story because of the strength of the characters and the plot- and I don't think I missed a thing for not having read the others. Secrets and lies make for the best mysteries and there are lot of them here. Meg has been dealing with the aftermath of a horrible attack the best way she can but she pulls herself out of what is close to agoraphobia to fly to the defense of her husband, who has been accused of murder. I loved the wilderness settings and the First Nations information- it's rare I learn as much as I did from reading a mystery. These are very real, intriguing characters. Eric is also terrific. Try this one for a different take on the amateur detective- it's definitely not a cozy. It's a page turner. I'm going to look for more from Harlick.

I really enjoyed this book. Meg Harris is a likeable character and the magical place the book is set in adds to it. Meg is trying to find out why her husband was framed for murder. She is helped by his uncle Joe who well and truly a brilliant character. The descriptions and style of writing kept me enthralled from the start. I read this book in one sitting and I definitely want to read more Meg Harris books.

Meg Harris is still traumatized from her encounter with three men last winter at her Three Deer Point cabin in Quebec, Canada. But when Meg learns that her stepdaughter Teth'aa has been brutally attacked and her husband Eric Odjik has been arrested for killing a man, she forces herself to travel across the country to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Meg is shocked to find that Eric is not defending himself. And when Meg learns that Eric's lawyer wants him to plead out, she fires him and hires defense counsel Sally McLeod. While Teht’aa slowly recovers and Eric languishes in jail, Meg starts her own investigation. While she’s using Teht’aa’s apartment, Meg meets Teht’aa’s troubled cousin Gloria. A piece of ancient suede embroidery decorated with sparkly purple flowers is an important clue. With the help of Erik's mentor, Uncle Joe Bluegoose, Meg learns about the controversial use of native lands for mining. The trail eventually leads Meg and Uncle Joe to a remote island far north of civilization and a family secret held by the female members of Teth'aa's family that is worth killing for.

This was another thrilling and enjoyable read in the Meg Harris mystery series.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review.

Meg has to leave her self-cocoon to help her husband and what an adventure she finds herself involved in when trying to clear his name. From concerns about her husband and her step-daughter, to stepping into family issues, and to missing embroidery, they all seem connected and the question is how?

I found this drama to be both intriguing and full of suspense as I didn’t know what was going to happen next. The mystery was well-written where greed, cultural betrayal, secrets and the past all play heavily in this tightly woven tale. The twist and turns were done in a manner that enhanced how well this story was being told. The visually descriptive narrative gave me a sense of time and space as the words and dialogue put me in the middle of all the action as I navigated through streams of emotions from Teht’aa to Gloria to Uncle Joe to Eric and to Meg, to name a few. This fast-paced drama held my attention from beginning to end and when it was all said and done, I was not ready to let go of Meg and her journey. A terrific read and I look forward to reading more stories with Meg Harris in this wonderful series.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn Publishing for the eARC.
This was my first Meg Harris mystery, but will definitely not be my last. I really liked it; the descriptions of the Northern Canadian landscape are so appealing you want to jump on the first plane!
Meg, suffering from agoraphobia after horrifying past events, is shocked into getting on a plane to Yellowknife; her husband has been jailed for murder and her stepdaughter is near death in hospital in a coma. The RCMP are certain they have their man, but Meg is adamant her beloved husband is not capable of killing and hires Canada's best criminal lawyer.
The intergenerational differences of the Algonquin First Nations, their painful past and the interactions between them and the non Algonquins is sensitively described and gave me a glimpse of a different world...fascinating.
Murder, family loyalties, secrets, alcoholism and even diamond mining make for one heck of a read, highly recommended.

This is the 8th book in the Meg Harris series by R.J. Harlick. This series has been on my radar for a couple of years, recommended by a good friend of mine. She knows I love mysteries set in the wilderness, and bonus points for First Nations themes or arctic settings (or both). This was my first foray into the series, but I am definitely going to go dig up the other books in the series immediately.

The author has an amazing facility with description. Breathtaking scenery and wilderness really made the story come alive for me. In fact the writing and descriptions reminded me a lot of Tony Hillerman's books and the characters' delicate balance (or imbalance) trying to be true to their culture whilst being forced to conform to white culture were a recurring theme in this book as well.

The story itself is a well plotted mystery with greed and double crosses, politics and assault, old history and old crimes which won't stay buried. The plot twists and denouement were fairly done and I hadn't worked out the whole solution by the end of the book.

For anyone who is a fan of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett books, or Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, definitely find this book. I can't believe it took me this long.

Four stars, I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

5 stars

Meg Harris receives a telephone call and is told that her husband Eric has been arrested for murder and is currently in jail. Crippled by near agoraphobia, she knows she must go to him, for he would never have done such a thing. She immediately hops a flight to Yellowknife and proceeds directly to the hospital to see her step-daughter Teht’aa who is in a coma and badly hurt from a violent attack.

She hires the best attorney she can who is named Sally and they proceed to work on Eric’s case. However, the RCMP is convinced that they have the right man, for Eric was standing over the murdered man with a knife in his hand.

Meg meets “Uncle” Joe, a wise and irascible old fella who is sitting by Teht’aa’s bedside in the hospital. They get along famously and explore the possible motives and suspects who might have caused Teht’aa’s wounds and killed Frank, the man who supposedly hurt Teht’aa and whom Eric was supposed to have killed. They journey around picking up clues and following leads. Meg soon discovers that the pieces of hide with the strange markings and purple flowers embroidered into them are significant to the case. Indeed, they make the case.

This is an exciting and fast-paced story with beautiful descriptions of the countryside and the First Nations peoples. It is an extremely well-written and plotted novel. The suspense was immediate and did not let up until the story was finished. I truly enjoyed this book. It was my first R.J. Harlick novel, but I immediately went to Amazon and ordered all her other books. I can’t wait to dig into them as well.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book for me to read and enjoy.

R.J. Harlick did an amazing job describing the scenery in this book, Because I haven't had an opportunity to read all the other books before this one in the Meg Harris Mystery it took a few minutes to get into this story. Once I started reading further it really didn't matter because the author did a terrific job making the reader understand what was happening. The descriptions of the land and locations in the book were written with such detail that it embraced the reader and it actually felt that I had been there; I loved that.
There are serious moments in this book that will make the reader emotional and wish that they could be there to offer their support to Meg and her daughter as well as moments when you want to cheer for them.
Thank you NetGalley and R.J. Harlick for letting me read and offer a honest review of this book.