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It’s 1970, and on the Windy Creek Reservation in South Dakota, amidst the rise of AIM in neighboring Pine Ridge, a baby boy appears nestled in a box of Styrofoam peanuts on the doorstep of St. Rose Catholic Church. His appearance disrupts the predictable, lonely life of longtime reservation priest Father Joe Kreitzer. The child, whom they name Bear, finds refuge under the care of Father Joe’s closest friend and ally, Alice Nighthawk.

Thirteen years pass without event, when Alice’s older son is mysteriously murdered outside a bar in Rapid City, and Bear is accused of attempting to kill the only person who knows what happened. At the same time, Father Joe receives a letter from the only woman who made him question the path of priesthood.

To keep Bear’s case from federal prosecution, Father Joe and Alice begin a search for Bear’s long-lost mother. But their journey unearths more than they bargained for, plunging Father Joe into a labyrinth of secrets and revelations. He is forced to confront the choices he’s made and the secrets he keeps, and to see the truth of the lives of the people around him.

High Hawk is a rich tapestry of love and history, delving into the delicate intricacies of the past and the redemptive power of second chances. Through evocative prose, the lives of those on the fringes of American culture come alive, navigating adversity and forging connections against all odds. Amy Frykholm is the author of Wild Woman. She has a PhD in literature from Duke University, and lives in Leadville, Colorado.