For Nora Abbot, Flagstaff's would-be proprietor of a ski
resort, a court win allowing her to generate snow on
Kachina Mountain is great news. Not everyone agrees.
Within minutes someone tries to stab her, environmental
protestors gather and an elderly Native man gifts her
kachina dolls for the sacred mountain. Given that the
resort was her husband Scott's idea, however, it seems
strange that now he bows out and says he wants nothing to
do with it. Unfortunate accidents occur, to Nora, her
equipment and the people around her, and some of the other
characters play against type so she doesn't know who to
trust.
Barret McCreary has his own reasons for wanting the ski
resort to go ahead, and Scott's protests prove his undoing
as McCreary Energy puts profit before health. Barret tells
his half-Hopi daughter that the Hopi live a simple
spiritual life to control their children, stop progress and
continue a life of poverty and poor medical care. There
are two sides to every story, but Barret, who has been
exploiting uranium, water and coal, isn't prepared to
listen.
Ever since reading Peter Matthiessen's 'Indian Country' I
have been aware of the casual exploitation of the South-
West deserts and the dangerous nature of mine tailings and
water pollution. The pressure for yet more power is immense
and modern methods are used intensely to extract fuels,
between coal, radioactive elements and fracking. TAINTED
MOUNTAIN looks at striking a balance and shows that big
money can ride roughshod over lives. Nora is certain that
bringing more water to the drought-stricken mountain must
be a good thing, and the runoff will seep back into the
water table. The moisture would increase biodiversity and
jobs would be provided. But the people on the Hopi and
Navaho reservations like their mountain the way it is.
Through the ideals of all the characters we see the sides
of a modern conflict, one in which, as always, the balance
of power lies with the white exploiters.
Shannon Baker provides a well-researched thriller in which
we can explore the arid lands of Arizona, its scenery,
peoples and geology. Herself a resident of Flagstaff, she
describes the beauty of a desert sunrise or the colours of
the ephemeral flowers to bring her tale to life. TAINTED
MOUNTAIN will offer a good read for anyone with interest in
the fragile environment, Native cultures or just in a
thriller set in an interesting location.
All Nora Abbott wants to do is make enough snow to save her
ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern
Arizona. But now her husband has been murdered; angry
protestors have occupied her mountain; her overbearing
mother has blown into town; and energy tycoon Barrett
McCreary has launched what might just be a hostile takeover
of the cashstrapped resort.
To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe claims making
snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth,
so Nora turns to the ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman for
help. The only trouble is that Huntsman seems to be playing
from both sides of the deck. And when a fortune in uranium
claims are at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy
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