The first book in Jake Page's mystery series featuring Mo Bowdre, the blind sculptor, this popular novel is now available only from the University of New Mexico Press. "Whether describing how Mo contemplates a piece of marble as he tries to imagine an eagle sculpture emerging from it, or revealing how ancient Hopi traditions live uneasily among contemporary poverties and desires, Page keeps the story moving while introducing us to an engaging and unfamiliar world."—Paul Skenazy, Washington Post Book World

Mo Bowdre and his lovely Anglo-Hopi girlfriend, Connie Barnes, find themselves at a remote desert research station in the bootheel of New Mexico. The station is an outpost of gossiping, back-biting research scientists thirty miles from the Mexican border and three hundred miles from nowhere. It's an unlikely site for Bowdre's newest sculpture commission—not to mention conspiracy, sexual deception, smuggling, and murder. When a female corpse turns up in the desert vastness of Skeleton Canyon, the research station is plunged into turmoil. Bowdre, with his sixth sense for trouble, goes into action when it is discovered that the murdered woman was a scientist and an FBI special agent. But the murder is only the first sharp thorn in a dense thicket of mystery....

The movie in progress is based on a historical event, a Native American victory over Spanish invaders. But some Indians deeply resent the movie company's filming on tribal land. Shooting has just begun when a deadly real-life scenario rapidly eclipses the one slated for the screen: the man who leased the Santo Esteban Pueblo to Hollywood suddenly dies, and the leading man is murdered. Blind sculptor Mo Bowdre, whose beautiful Hopi girlfriend has a small role in the movie, is fascinated. Who are the players and what are the stakes? Finding the answer tests Mo's inner vision to its limits.

The Lethal Partner is Jake Page's latest Mo Bowdre novel. Bowdre, a blind sculptor who lives in Santa Fe, is drawn into a murder mystery surrounding the recent discovery of seven previously unknown Georgia O'Keeffe paintings. Elijah Potts, successful author and owner of the Southwest Creations art gallery, claims that he and a couple of friends uncovered the canvases in an old adobe house. Potts is certain these canvases will be the crowning glory of his career, if not the key to the fortune that has continued to elude him. Before the paintings can be authenticated, Potts' world begins to unravel. Anita Montague, manager of Southwest Creations gallery, is murdered and the paintings disappear. Potts finds himself in jail, the prime suspect in Anita's murder. Enter, Mo Bowdre. Will his sixth sense help solve the dual mysteries of murder and theft?

“Jake Page is one of the Southwest’s most distinguished writers.”— The Denver Post A bizarre murder leaves two teenagers dead in a desert arroyo, their naked bodies side by side, face up under the New Mexican sun. Near them, etched in stone, is a symbol unlike any Native American marking. What does it signify? The puzzle is made to order for Mo Bowdre's quirky and capacious intelligence. But Bowdre, a wildlife sculptor and occasional sleuth, may be in over his head, as he becomes embroiled in a possible case of ritual killing—and a certain malice... Praise for A Certain Malice “In a long tradition of oddball amateur detectives, the flamboyant Bowdre is a welcome addition. He’s certainly offbeat and larger than life.” — L.A. Life “Page’s mysteries are standouts.” — The Houston Chronicle “Move over, Tony Hillerman” — The Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer