These books are about crimes. But they’re also about laughter, love, loyalty, and healing writes Angeline Boulley at Crime reads.com
Here are some of my favorite mysteries and thrillers involving crimes occurring within or near Native communities:
Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon (White Earth Chippewa)
Technically, protagonist Renee “Cash” Blackbear is the “sidekick”, helping Sheriff Wheaton figure out who killed a Native man. She travels in her dreams, finding the dead man’s wife and kids on the Red Lake Reservation. A man she dubs “Long Braids” provides tenderness and humor. Author Marcie Rendon writes in the sensory-rich way Anishinaabe storytellers describe places and characters with such vivid eloquence that you are transported elsewhere as well.
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Sicangu Lakota)
Virgil Wounded Horse is the vigilante enforcer you hire when justice systems—federal or tribal—fail those on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Given the jurisdictional quagmire of the Major Crimes Act and the lack of resources to prosecute anything but slam-dunk cases, it means steady work for Virgil. That is, however, until his nephew overdoses on heroin and justice becomes personal. Along with his ex-girlfriend sidekick, Marie, Virgil searches for answers and justice amidst a perfect storm of drug dealers, tribal politics, and Native identity.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa)
Thirteen-year-old Joe wants justice after his mother is sexually assaulted and refuses to identify the culprit. Joe’s father, the tribal judge, is convinced the answer to the mystery is within his court files. Joe’s bittersweet coming-of-age story is a masterpiece. Devastating heartbreak is carefully juxtaposed with unforgettable nicknames, shenanigans with his friends, and raunchy stories told by elders.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (Georgian Bay Metis)
Joan’s husband, Victor, has been missing for a year when she wanders into a revival tent and sees him as a traveling preacher. The Reverend Eugene Wolff doesn’t know Joan and has been with the congregation for three years. Joan is undeterred; she wants the truth and her husband. Her sidekick is Zeus, her 12-year-old, Johnny Cash-loving nephew whose quips and yups add levity to her quest.
Source: https://crimereads.com/five-novels-about-solving-crimes-in-native-communities/
