"This book could be the seed of a new series of mysteries set in our beautiful Southwest." -- Anne Hillerman, New York Times best-selling author of the "Chee-Leaphorn-Manuelito" series.
"Vicky Ramakka's page-turner, The Cactus Plot does an excellent job at capturing the sense of place and people of Northwestern New Mexico." -- Jonathan Thompson, environmental journalist and author of River of Lost Souls: The Science, Politics, and Greed Behind the Gold King Mine Disaster
"Vicky is very descriptive in her mention of Navajo places and events, such as the Shiprock Flea Market. You can just imagine the colorful items, the smells in the air and hear the children wandering among shoppers." -- Elaine Benally, Director, San Juan College West
"Ramakka, who lives in Aztec, has written a revealing tale of her home territory. Local environmental journalist Jonathan Thompson...says Ramakka's mystery "does an excellent job of capturing the sense of place and people of northwestern New Mexico, along with the ins and outs of oil and gas development there." --Scott Graham, Four Corners Free Press
"This is a delicious, layered Cozy Mystery/Women Sleuth paperback. Tall, gangly young Millie Whitehall takes a job as a botanist for the BLM to survey endangered plants in Four Corners country, New Mexico. An archeologist has just plunged off a cliff and died. But fellow BLM worker, Momma Agnes says, "That don't make sense ... He was strong as an ox and knew the back country better than most." This suspicious death is followed by two more. Millie learns about fracking, contradictions in federal policy and how an oil field hand can back off from a rattlesnake. She is introduced to wild mustangs, Monster Slayer and Changing Woman, and how to make Navajo fry bread. The characters are vivid and eager to share their stories, but the plot is slow to develop. Nevertheless, it's an informed cultural and ecological immersion rolled up in a mystery. Four stars." --Phaedra Greenwood, enchantment Magazine