Harrison, C.C.

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Harrison, C.C.

PERSONAL:

Female.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Anthem, AZ. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, journalist, short-story writer, and novelist.

WRITINGS:

The Charmstone, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2007.

Running from Strangers, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

C.C. Harrison is a prolific author of articles and short stories. Her debut novel, The Charmstone, reflects her love for the desert settings of the American southwest, including Monument Valley and Navajo lands. Protagonist Amanda Bell is a socialite and museum designer who lives a comfortable life with her fiancé in Beverly Hills. When her archaeologist father is killed in a car crash, Amanda honors his last request by traveling to the Navajo reservation in Monument Valley to deliver his papers and other materials to the cultural center. Though the stark environment of the reservation is a strong contrast to the posh surroundings she enjoyed in Beverly Hills, Amanda finds herself growing more and more attracted to the beauty of the land and the culture of its inhabitants. Soon, she decides to stay on to catalogue and archive her father's papers and the cultural center's collections. While there, she encounters Durango Yazzie, a Hollywood director and Navajo who has returned to the reservation to deepen his knowledge and connection to his culture. As romantic sparks are kindled between the two, the details of Amanda's father's car crash draw both characters' interest. Amanda discovers numerous inconsistencies in the accident report, and the fact that her father's body was never found leads both her and Durango to suspect there is more to the case than was reported. When she investigates further, Amanda receives threats and intimidating messages indicating she should leave the area and stop looking into her father's death. The case gets even more complicated with the involvement of a shady news reporter, the reappearance of Amanda's ex-fiancé, and the presence of a group of thieves who rob Indian graves and steal precious Navajo artifacts.

With this novel, "Harrison does a masterful job of painting very visible characters and challenging them with an interesting and fast moving plot," commented Dennis Collins on MyShelf.com. Booklist critic Patty Engelmann concluded that Harrison's "top-notch romantic suspense novel" illuminates both the "beauty of the land and culture of the Navajo."