Following a series of occurrences of cattle mutilations the local sheriff seems content to propagate the idea that they are the work of extraterrestrials. When Shadow Dancer, one of the guests at Shirley's ranch, turns up dead, her body mutilated in apparently the same way as the cattle, the sheriff again seems willing to write the murder off as the work of "ET". As the woman was a self-proclaimed cosmic healer who purported to channel cosmic rays in order to heal people, it is all too easy for the sheriff to write her murder off as the work of Aliens!

However, when one of Allison's schoolfriends, Dawn, is also murdered Shirley, who is already extremely cynical about the willingness of the local law enforcement officers to write the murders off to Aliens begins to suspect that things are not quite what they seem. What links the murders of Shadow Dancer and Dawn French? Will Shirley manage to make people see sense and discard their far-fetched extraterrestrial theories before someone else is murdered?

As a long-time fan of the Shirley McClintock mysteries I was rather intrigued when I read that this story would revolve around apparent ritual murder by Aliens! I rather hoped that it would be handled with the skill that I have come to expect from Sheri Tepper's writing. I was not disappointed. The story was convincing and enthralling.

However, I do rather feel sorry for Shirley's ward, Allison. It now seems that the McClintock habit of discovering corpses is contagious. Add to this the fact that her classmates immediately assume that Allison and her family are somehow responsible for Dawn's death and you are left with a superb sub-plot of teenage angst. Allison finds herself torn between the desire to be part of the in-crowd and the moralities instilled during her upbringing.

A Ceremonial Death is another terrific murder-mystery story that combines the very best aspects of the McClintock mysteries: the cynicism of Shirley McClintock, the incompetence of the local law enforcement and the stoic JQ who provides a solid reliable foundation to the family group as well as copious quantities of menudo (a rather dubious concoction of tripe, pigs' feet, garlic and chillies).

Thoroughly enjoyable escapism!