Thunderbird — Susan Slater

CLOSE ENCOUNTER

The fiery crash of a Stealth fighter on a New Mexico reservation and the disappearance of a young Navajo woman put psychologist Ben Pecos on a sinister trail leading into the world of military cover-ups, UFOs and aliens.

Tribal police officer Tommy Spottedhorse locks horns with air force personnel for the right to investigate as he searches for the missing woman. Bullheaded military brass scramble for answers as livestock mutilations and the murder of a local park ranger take the case from strange to downright bizarre.

When it appears that the woman, Brenda Begay -- believed to have witnessed what happened that strange night -- may still be alive, Ben and Tommy Spottedhorse race to connect the pieces of the puzzle. Because, otherworldly or not, something evil is out there in the desert, awaiting a final showdown among the ruins of the Ancient Ones . . .