Devon Abbott Mihesuah

Effectively creepy police procedural thoroughly grounded in indigenous beliefs. I found it difficult to put down, with evocative writing and several interesting characters.

The only criticism I would offer is that the police partnership between Monique and Chris is a bit unbelievable — in theory they’ve been working together for years, but their conversations make them seem like virtual strangers. I hope that they continue to develop deeper and more rounded voices if the series continues.

Advanced readers copy provided by Edelweiss.… (more)

First, I must caveat this by saying that I did not end up finishing this book. However, I still have opinions on it. First, the author is not the best at writing mysteries at this point in time. The bits and pieces of other viewpoints were interesting, but the main plotline dragged. I ended up putting the book down after I was halfway through and the main character hadn't even finished investigating the initial scene of the crime. Thorough, perhaps, but not what I wanted to read. Second, parts of the book read more like a thesis than a mystery novel. I learned more about why Native Americans want their ancestor's remains repatriated and healthy eating than I did about the actual main plotline. Third, I actually found that kind of interesting. Mihesuah has a lot of interesting ideas and really could make an absolutely fascinating book if she could pace it better.… (more)