Reed believes that he can see the future, and he is worried. He believes that he will be killed on June 5, and since it is now May there is no time to lose. His proposition for Parris and Moon is that he believes that Parris cannot keep him alive beyond that fateful day. If Parris can, with Moon's assistance, prevent Reed's death Reed will compensate both men with a big payoff.

Reed will not divulge any details of his impending death, but Charlie Moon is a skilled investigator. He receives some unwanted help from his aunt Daisy and young Sarah Frank, an eighteen-year-old Ute-Papago orphan who has a crush on Charlie. Sarah has discovered that the esteemed Mr. Reed's young wife has a boyfriend. She surmises that the young wife and boyfriend may be plotting to kill Reed. Against Charlie's admonition to leave the detecting to him and Parris, Sarah with Daisy in tow, sets out to follow the young wife. Of course things do not go as planned as Sarah learns that her investigative skills need more than a little fine tuning.

James Doss has written an engaging tale, made all the more intriguing by the use of a narrative voice that echoes Reed's alleged ability to foresee the future. His way with words is nothing short of perfection. While maintaining a lighthearted tone, there are ominous warnings of danger beneath the surface. His choice of title is just right. This story is a tale told with the flair of an expert.

The continuing characters in what is now the fifteenth outings for Charlie Moon continue to command one's attention. Ute Elder Daisy Perika has just the right combination of characteristics. She is a sort of shaman, curmudgeon, crotchety old lady who by virtue of her own brand of inquisitiveness and boldness demands the reader's attention. She gets what she wants and never doubts her ability to achieve said goals. Would that we all have her kind of spirit at her age. It is almost ironic that the old lady finds herself wrestling with the tenets of the Catholic faith and can still communicate with crows and other wildlife to foresee the future.

Doss has a highly developed sense of wry humor that encourages his readers to use their minds. His jokes are so cleverly concealed within the text that one must read carefully to fully appreciate his intellect. Dialogue is delivered in a homespun down to earth manner that makes the humor all that more effective.

While expertly resolving all the major issues presented in his tale, Doss manages to leave his readers with just a touch of the mystical. Samuel Reed, who was an accomplished academic before he made his millions in investing, poses some interesting questions which are not easily answered with the information we have at our disposal even in this age of almost instantaneous communication. Charlie Moon may be having his fifteenth adventure in A Dead Man's Tale but is always encountering a new wrinkle.

--Andy Plonka