Angel of Vilcabamba

David E. Stuart

Human rights investigator John Alexander returns in David Stuart's third novel as he traverses the rough landscapes of Latin America, this time with his twelve-year-old ward, Andalusia, in tow. Kidnapped, then rescued in northern Peru, Andy, as Alexander calls his young companion, has extracted what their superstitious muleskinner guides believe to be a mystical revenge when she strikes down a powerful Ecuadorian general allied to those responsible for her mother's death and steals the cross he profanely wears around his neck. Andy is no saint, but she is a complicated character, traumatized by the abuses she has suffered at the hands of her abductors. Haunted by his own childhood torments, Alexander forms a deep bond with Andy as together they try to reconcile their troubled pasts.

The three novels in anthropologist Stuart's collection, The Ecuador Effect, a PEN Southwest 2007 fiction finalist, Flight of Souls, and now Angel of Vilcabamba, offer unique glimpses into diverse cultures, the complexities of human interaction, and the psychological effects of violence.

Winner of the 2009 PEN Southwest Book Award for Fiction.

"Country-hopping human-rights investigator John Alexander is back and better than ever in [Angel of Vilcabamba]....Stuart's knowledge of the cultures of Latin America and his deft plotting...are uppermost in this quickly moving and entertaining adventure."--New Mexico Magazine

"This third in a series of [John Alexander's] adventures is as entertaining a journey through the relationship between the two principle characters as it is a suspenseful exercise in keeping the child from harm. It was sad to let JA and Andy go on the last page..."--Historical Novels Review

David E. Stuart, the first student in the State of West Virginia to earn a degree in Anthropology, came to UNM in '67/'68 where he earned the Masters and Ph.D. and, later, an honorary doctorate from WVa Wesleyan College. He has conducted fieldwork in Mexico, Alaska, Ecuador, and the American Southwest, where he continues to publish in both Anthropology and Archaeology. He served the University of New Mexico as a senior academic administrator for many years, and still teaches the Archaeology of New Mexico.

6 x 9 333 pages 1 map.