A Time of Change (Navajo Rez #1)

Josephine Buck is working hard to achieve her dream of becoming a hataalii, or Navajo healer, while balancing classes at the local community college and work at The Outpost, Tom Stuart's trading post. The Outpost function's as the heart of a small community, selling everything from groceries to fabric, from cheap tourist souvenir, to high-end artisan-created jewelry. Moreover, Tom Stuart has become a surrogate father to Jo and others on his staff.

Jo arrives early one morning to find her beloved boss dead in his nearby home, an apparent suicide. It soon becomes clear that Tom was murdered - but why? Jo and the police - in the person of Detective Katie Wells - aren't the only ones looking for answers.

Tom's estranged son, Ben, arrives home on compassionate leave from the US Army, determined to find out who killed his father. Ben and Tom have been moving toward reconciliation, and Ben regrets the years he wasted being angry at his dad. Seeing Jo is a sharp reminder of their time as high school sweethearts... and of the fact that she walked away from him when he needed her most. For Jo, Ben's return releases an unexpected awakening of old passions - but knowing he'll soon return to the Army makes Jo wary of her new desires.

Before either Jo or Ben can try to pick up the pieces of "what might have been", someone tries to break into The Outpost; then another break-in takes place at Jo's home. It soon becomes clear that Tom's murder was just the first step in a chain of violence - and that Detective Wells isn't working very hard to find his killer. Jo and Ben have no choice: they must solve the murder, and they must work together to do it.