Twilight Is the Time the Dead Look Back

When Philip Whitefeather was twelve years old, he went on a vision quest and dreamed that he would die before his twenty-first birthday. Before his death, however, it was foretold that Philip would be the driving force behind the reawakening of the spirit of the Anishinabeg people.

Now a nineteen-year-old student of psychology at the University of Detroit, with a curriculum heavily emphasizing mental disorders, Philip knows that his death is imminent. So he does what his vision had told him to do seven years ago: He dies in a sacred place so that the Anishinabeg might be inspired to embrace the ways of their ancestors once again. The place Philip chooses to leave this world and enter into the spiritual realm is the petroglyph site in Michigan’s Sanilac County near Greenleaf Township.

When it’s discovered that Philip has been a victim of foul play, Detective Rein Connery is asked by an old friend and former flame to take the lead on the homicide investigation. Rein accepts, but initially finds facing Evelyn Dawn Standingcloud after all these years awkward and embarrassing, especially now that he’s a happily married man with a son and a second child on the way. Old feelings stir and even a surprise or two are in store for Rein as he and Evelyn try to figure out who killed Philip, how the killer managed to pull it off, and why.

Twilight Is the Time the Dead Look Back is not just a mystery, it’s a realistic window into the lives and beliefs of those who are members of the great Ojibwe Nation. So get ready to adjust your mindset to follow a people who are not only resilient and strong, but also giving, forgiving, accepting of others, and content to respect and to thrive as one with nature. We could all take a lesson from these very wise and gifted people.