The Clay Dancers — Cecil Dawkins

AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CREW DISCOVERS THE ANCIENT ART OF MURDER....

Near Santa Fe, a dedicated group of archaeologists, geologists, and students works diligently on a dig as rich as the soil. Harmless fires and slithering snakes don't bother this group at all. Even when old Rap Singleton "accidentally" falls over a cliff with a chunk of diamond in his pocket, the work merely stops for a moment.

But Tina Martinez--the Anglicized young Indian who is both the camp artist and a spy for her people--senses trouble in the air: Freya, the leader, is desperately looking for something she hasn't found; Hooper John, a weird kid trying to be an Indian, starts stalking the camp; and Tina's own loyalties are growing more painfully divided. Is she for the dig or for her people?

As ancient secrets push toward the surface--and the time for the black clay dance draws near--a killer is swiftly on the move....