Six Crooked Highways

Tribal intrigue and government meddling on the Chippewa Red Lake Indian Reservation along the western shores of northern Minnesota's labyrinthine Lake of the Woods propel this atmospheric but cluttered sequel to Johnson's well-received Don't Think Twice. Awakened in the middle of the night by the roar of a motor boat on the lake in front of his popular resort lodge, Paul Two Persons worries that the commotion will disturb the sleep of his wife, Gwen, and their two-year-old daughter. But more is disturbed than sleep when a dead body is found floating near the abandoned boat the next morning. Paul's cop pal Charlie Groten informs Paul that his name has come up in the resulting investigation; this appears to have something to do with Paul's resistance to the state political hierarchy's plan to cut a highway across a section of the reservation leased to the resort. In a cryptic message on the lodge answering machine, a top candidate for the Minnesota senate jokes about some mysterious real estate manipulation. Meanwhile, Paul's relationship with the Chippewa tribal council, which wants the money the highway would bring, is troubled. Another dead body shows up in a sinkhole; a boy who works for Paul is found murdered. A host of one-dimensional bit-part players clogs the narrative, which is further burdened by superfluous references to the previous Paul Two Persons novel. Paul is a strong character, a conscientious man who has made good and wants to help those less fortunate, while protecting his lodge and family from harm. Johnson's portrayal of modern tribal dynamics is nuanced and convincing. Stretches of murky prose and a convoluted plot stifle the narrative, however, defusing the final lakeside showdown. 8-city Minnesota and Kansas author tour. (July) MOTORCYCLE ENLIGHTENMENT Charles Sides. Hampton Roads, $12.95 paper (192p) ISBN 1-57174-172-0 ~ Jack Kerouac meets Richard Ford in this slender, thoughtful piece of visionary fiction. We follow Alan Pierce, an unemployed divorced Pennsylvanian, on a memorable journey beginning on the road but becoming an ethereal voyage of self-discovery. Though Alan plans to motorcycle to California, he winds up in New Jersey, where he settles down and tries to find himself. He rises at 5 a.m. to do yoga and meditate. He munches on pizza and doughnuts and, later, broccoli. And he falls in love with a real estate agent named Jean, who can tell ""from [his] eyes"" that Alan's life has fallen apart. She isn't put off by Alan's muddled confusion, early morning regime or balding pate, however. Jean (who conveniently holds a master's degree in counseling) is insightful and incisive, and readers may grow to love her as Alan does, as he learns to eat meditatively, enjoying his food without rushing, to stop gazing blankly at the Jersey shore and to feel each grain of warm sand when he goes out for a stroll. At times, this novel--like others packed with so many life lessons--tends toward the didactic, but it remains a captivating and spiritually challenging read. (July)