Winter Counts

Vigilante justice on a Lakota Reservation

Action-packed, fleshed with vibrant characters in a unique setting, with dashes of humor to blunt some of the violence, and, yes, educational... what more could one ask for in a mystery novel about vigilante justice! I know very little about the Lakota, but I feel like this was an honest portrayal—besides this being an “own voices” book, (and own-voices narrated if you get the audiobook version!) there is a mix of hope and respect with the criticisms, a familiarity I feel honored to have shared with me. It was so interesting to have Lakota sayings, phrases, imagery, religious practices, customs, culture, history, etc. sprinkled throughout the story. There is a lot of mistreatment of Indigenous people still going on and I am grateful this book opened my eyes to it while also taking me on a nail-biting adventure. I learned a lot and I was entertained! I can’t wait for the next book by this author!