When psychologist Ben Pecos gets the call-his 12 year old ward, Nathan Yazzi has been expelled from school-Ben sees a road trip as an opportunity to spend extended time with the troubled boy, camping and fishing and talking things through. Little does he realize they are driving right into trouble in the small town of Spearfish, South Dakota, where the local sheriff is investigating the mysterious death of a Lakota Sun Dancer. Things are not looking good when the sheriff directs his attention toward Ben. And when it turns out the dead man was neither Lakota nor a Sun Dancer, the mystery deepens.

Meanwhile, hoards of protestors are showing up over a proposed oil pipeline through the reservation, people from outside the area who are being trucked in and paid to create havoc. As the body count rises, Sheriff Mac Sterling and the reservation police chief, Red Bull, have their hands full, as neither the tribe nor the county have the manpower to keep things from getting out of hand.

Ben gets recruited to help but soon finds his world rocked to the core with the revelation of the darkest secret from his own past.

Praise for Susan Slater and the Ben Pecos mystery series:
"This is a wonderful book with loveable heroes." - Library Journal, (on The Pumpkin Seed Massacre)

"Susan Slater's Thunderbird is a witty, absorbing tale." -Publishers Weekly

"Slater effectively combines an appealing mix of new and existing characters ... dry humor; crackling suspense; and a surprise ending." -Booklist

"... a gripping novel. We mystery lovers hope it's the first of many." - Tony Hillerman

"A solid, suspenseful narrative and colorful glimpses of Native American life strongly recommend this ..." - Library Journal (on Thunderbird)

"... Ben Pecos-raised far from New Mexico's Tewa Pueblo-could become as lasting a fictional presence as Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee." - Chicago Tribune