Secret Shadows pairs an unlikely couple: a Lakota FBI agent working undercover, and the burned-out ER doctor whose testimony helped convict him of his dying sister's murder.

Dane White Eagle is the FBI agent. Tainted Ecstasy has been killing people, and the evidence points to a group on the reservation where his mother and sister live. Even worse, one of the culprits, Leland Big Elk, is dating his mother. When he's taking his dying sister to a Christmas party in town, he stops at his apartment to pick up the presents for the party, leaving her sleeping in the truck. When he returns minutes later, she's been shot. He rushes her to the emergency room, but it's too late.

Dr. Claire Colby is the emergency room doctor who treated his sister.

The tragic situation is a godsend for Dane's FBI mission. By allowing him to be convicted of his sister's murder, Dane can be imprisoned with the head of the gang making and distributing the drugs, and attempt to get information about the location of the lab from him. It's an almost intolerable situation for him--he's unable to tell his mother about the ruse, because of her friendship with Leland, and he's unable to search for the real killer.

When he's released on a technicality, he returns to the reservation to find his mother disowning him, and Claire Colby setting up a practice on the reservation.

I can't say much more for fear of giving away the whole story--hopefully I haven't said too much already.

Secret Shadows has a lot going for it: a romance between a couple where the reader can't be sure how they'll ever manage to get together; a murder mystery--who killed Kylee and why; a police procedural story about finding the drug dealers; an emotional story about family loyalty; and a glimpse into life on a Lakota reservation. All the various story threads are woven together seamlessly in a page-turning tale with characters you can care about. ( )