Coyote Wind by Peter Bowen

Unusual and disjointed in interesting ways, will try another in this series. PW: Montana, "the last best place" of the disappearing American West, is the setting of Peter Bowen's splendid first mystery novel in a series to feature Gabriel Du Pre. A cattle-brand inspector and occasional sheriff's deputy, Du Pre moves easily among the ranchers, cowboys, Native Americans, barflies, dreamers, and Eastern dudes who populate what's left of the frontier. In the desolate hills of the Fascelli family ranch, a skeleton has been discovered. The sheriff needs Du Pre's long experience in Montana to identify the bones. What Du Pre finds leads him on a search through the history of a troubled family, a search that brings him closer to a secret from his own past. Along the way, Du Pre meets a range of interesting folk, some to his liking, some decidedly not.