Dyed in the Wool is a suspense novel set in the southwest and the Navajo Nation. Environmental issues are central, as is the Navajo way of life, and weaving. Subplot involves conflicts between the protagonist, Annie, and her two teen stepsons.
When Annie McLeod's car is rammed and shoved into a ditch in the dead of night, she knows that something criminal is afoot on the Navajo reservation. She and her stepsons are injured in the crash, the latest in a string of problems. First, and experimental testing device showed toxins in the reservation stream water, then Navajo weavers confided they believed something was wrong with their wool.
Scientists solve problems, and Annie, a chemist, is determined to uncover the threats facing the Navajo people. From the analytical lab where she works in Phoenix, to the craggy mountains and remote canyons of the vast reservation, Annie's quest uncovers a deadly business where the stakes keep rising, and not everyone comes out alive.