#Marcie Rendon

[gennsoup]

People who give more than they get. Mothers who love their children, fathers who stay. Grandparents who babysit, even in a wheelchair. We create beauty out of scraps. Hold cars together with duct tape. Work jobs and sell beadwork for cash to 'have a little extra.' Make frybread even though we know it isn't good for the diabetes but because it's good for the spirit. Resilience is making decisions that benefit the whole instead of just the individual. It's getting up and putting one foot in front of the other, even when you don't want to. This is our resilience.

Marcie Rendon, Resilience

[aggiepython]

a piece i did for a class on native american history, inspired by Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon (more info under cut)

“She bounded down two concrete stairs and stepped out on to the green grass of the campus mall, surrounded on either side by thick stately oaks. She could tell each one had been strategically planted along the winding sidewalks between the red brick buildings. Even with groups of students sitting on the grass, leaning against their trunks, the trees seemed lonely. Nothing like the oaks along the river that grew where they wanted to grow and leaned in and touched each other with their middle branches, whose voices sang through their leaves like the hum of electric wires running alongside the country roads.” From Murder on the Red River

This piece is inspired by Murder on the Red River, a mystery novel by Marcie Rendon. It’s about Cash Blackbear, a young Ojibwe woman who investigates the murder of a Native man. Cash was taken from her mother and siblings as a young child and lived in a series of foster homes, most of which were abusive. About a third of Native American children were taken from their parents and placed in foster homes, even when they could have been placed with relatives instead of being separated from their community members and culture. Native American boarding schools, which also separated children from their families and culture, had mostly all been shut down by the 1970s (Katherine Beane), when Murder on the Red River takes place. But the removal of children to foster homes was just another way that the government tried to force Native Americans to assimilate into white culture. The Indian Child Welfare Act was passed in 1978. It set requirements to keep Native children with relatives when safe and possible, and to work with the tribe and family of children. This act has made progress, though Native children are still adopted or placed in foster care at a higher rate than non-Native children (NICWA). In my illustration, there are four trees, representing Cash, her mother, and her two siblings. In the image on the right, the trees are growing as they do in their natural forest habitat, winding together. In the image on the left, the trees have been planted on the neat lawn of the college campus, a place where white culture is dominant. The trees are apart from each other, separated as Cash’s family were torn apart. They were forced to assimilate as many Native Americans were. The trees are bur oaks, aka Quercus macrocarpa, a species native to North Dakota where the book takes place. Their range encompasses much of the U.S. and parts of Canada (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). The grass on the right image is Kentucky Bluegrass, aka Poa pratensis. It is invasive to North America. It was introduced in the 17th century from Europe, and is now found all over North America. It is commonly used for lawns and pasture, and can outcompete native prairie plants (North Dakota State Library). The Red River borders North Dakota and Minnesota. The Ojibwe have lived in Minnesota since before the 17th century, after migrating from Northeastern North America over hundreds of years (Minnesota Historical Society). The shape of the Red River traces through the image, weaving and intermingling through the branches of the trees, showing Cash’s deep connection with the land she is from.

Works Cited “About IWCA” National Indian Child Welfare Association, https://www.nicwa.org/about-icwa/ Beane, Katherine, American Indians in Minnesota, 12 March 2024, Nicholson Hall, Minneapolis, MN. Lecture. “Kentucky Bluegrass”, North Dakota State Library. https://www.library.nd.gov/statedocs/AgDept/Kentuckybluegrass20070703.pdf Rendon, Marcie. Murder on the Red River. Soho Crime, 2017. “The Ojibwe People”, Minnesota Historical Society, https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/native-americans/ojibwe-people “Quercus macrocarpa”, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUMA2

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 137

Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon

“I’m telling you- I heard a woman scream.”

[jolieeason]

WWW Wednesday: August 14th, 2024

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday. Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!! Happy…

[witchyfashion]

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST EDITED ANTHOLOGY • BRAM STOKER AWARD NOMINEE FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANTHOLOGY • LOCUS AWARD FINALIST A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” “Never failed to surprise, delight, and shock.” —Nick Cutter, author of The Troop and Little Heaven Featuring stories by: Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce K. Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home. These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

https://amzn.to/4eXLQJP

[lesbiancolumbo]

4 & 20!

nice.

4. did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

new as in... new-to-me? i read most of august wilson's pittsburgh cycle this year on a whim and that was a really rewarding experience, although he wasn't strictly... new to me. i did discover a mystery writer named marcie r. rendon whose books i tore through at the end of the summer. her cash blackbear series as well as her standalone where they last saw her have all been great.

20. what was your most anticipated release? did it meet your expectations?

this is a funny question because i really do not pay attention to upcoming releases in that way... i'm very much a "oh fuck, that's out, cool!" kind of person lol. i guess the new emily henry novel, funny story... i liked it, but i'll be honest, her formula starts to show its cracks with each and every new book she cranks out, and before anyone comes at me with "b-b-but that's just what romance novels are like!" i don't care and stop having low standards. so i guess i was a bit let down there.

[musingsofmonica]

September 2024 Diverse Reads

September 2024 Diverse Reads

•”The Fallen Fruit” by Shawntelle Madison, September 03, Amistad Press, Historical/Science Fiction/Time Travel/Cultural Heritage/African American & Black/Women/

•”Where They Last Saw Her” by Marcie R. Rendon, September 03, Bantam, Thriller/Suspense/ Mystery & Detective/Women Sleuths/Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•”Sky Full of Elephants” by Cebo Campbell, September 10, Simon & Schuster, Literary/Science Fiction/Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic/Magical Realism/Cultural Heritage/African American & Black

•”Reservoir Bitches: Stories” by Dahlia de la Cerda,  translated by Julia Sanches & Heather Cleary, September 10, Feminist Press, Science Fiction/Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic/Short Stories/Feminist/Women/World Literature/Mexico

•Rejection” by Tony Tulathimutte, September 17, William Morrow & Company, Literary/Coming of Age/Humor/Satire/Short Stories/Novel in Stories

•”Entitlement” by Rumaan Alam, September 17, Riverhead Books, Literary/Psychological/Family/Life/Social Themes

•”We Came to Welcome You” by Vincent Tirado, September 03, William Morrow & Company, Horror/Thriller/Psychological/Cultural Heritage/Diversity & Multicultural/LGBTQ 

•”Misinterpretation” by Ledia Xhoga, September 03, Tin House Books, Literary/Psychological/Women/Family Life/Marriage & Divorce/World Literature/New York/Albania  

•”Vilest Things” by Chloe Gong, September 10, S&S/Saga Press, Fantasy/Action & Adventure

Fantasy/Romantic/Asian Futurism

•”This World Is Not Yours” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa, September 10, Tor Nightfire, Horror/Science Fiction/Hard Science Fiction/Space Exploration/Alien Contact/LGBTQ 

•”Colored Television” by Danzy Senna, September 03, Riverhead Books, Literary/Family Life/Racial Identity/Cultural Heritage/African American & Black/Women

•”Songs for the Brokenhearted” by Ayelet Tsabari, September 10, Random House, Literary/Historical/Family Life/World Literature/New York/Yeman

•”The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's” by 

Hanna Alkaf, September 24, Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, YA/Thriller/Suspense/Supernatural/Dark Academia/Social Themes/Girls & Women/People & Places/Asia

•”The Beauty of Us” by Farzana Doctor, September 17, ECW Press, Contemporary/School & Education/Boarding School & Prep School/Social Themes/Girls & Women

•“We're Alone: Essays” by Edwidge Danticat, September 03, Graywolf Press. Personal Memoir/Essays/Short Essays/Essay Collection/Reportage/Ethnic Studies/Environmental Conservation & Protection/Caribbean & Latin American/Haiti

•”The Cottage Around the Corner” by D. L. Soria, September 03, Random House Worlds, Contemporary/Romance/Romantic Comedy/Fantasy

•”When Haru Was Here” by Dustin Thao, September 03, Wednesday Books, Contemporary/Romance/Social Themes/Death, Grief, Bereavement/LGBTQ

•”Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour” by Nora Nguyen, September 24, Avon Books, Contemporary/Romance/Romantic Comedy/Women/Cultural Heritage/Asian American/World Literature/Vietmam

•“We'll Prescribe You a Cat” by Syou Ishida, travel by E Madison Shimoda, September 03, Berkley Books, Contemporary/Family Life/Animals/World Literature/Japan

•”We Need No Wings” by Ann Dávila Cardinal, September 10, Sourcebooks Landmark, Contemporary/Magical Realism/Family Life/Death/Women/Cultural Heritage/Hispanic & Latino/World Literature/Spain 

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

March Monthly Recap

Like February, March was a rough month for me, although I read 10 books, a few of which I really enjoyed. I finally finished Thief of Time, which I really enjoyed, and I was fascinated by Worn: A People’s History of Clothing. On the other hand, I had two severe disappointments, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and High Times in the Low Parliament, which made me realize that I don’t really enjoy whimsical books!

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton: 1.5/5, dnf

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett: 5/5

Meet Me in Atlantis by Mark Adams: 4.25/5

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi: 4.5/5

Untouchable by Talia Hibbert: 4.75/5

That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert: 4.75/5

High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson: 2/5

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon: 2/5

Worn: A People’s History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser: 5/5

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden: 4.5/5

And my goal progress beneath the cut:

23 in 2023: 7 [+4]

Read 100 books: 42 [+10]

Translated works: 1 [+0]

Physical TBR: 3 [+1]

Top of TBR: 2 [+1]

Books in Spanish: 0

Read 40% AOC: 26.2% [+1.2%]

Discworld books: 1 [+1]

Series: 3 started vs. 12 caught up on/finished [+0/+2]

Storygraph recs: 1 | avg. 3/5 [+0]

Indigenous authors: 1 [+1]

[sistahscifi]

We loved this episode of Life Writing Podcast featuring Shane Hawk discussing Never Whistle At Night!!

CONTRIBUTORS: Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce K. Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller

Credit to @tananarivedue Ep 107: Guest @shane.hawk, horror author and co-editor of NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT, a bestselling Indigenous #horror anthology with an introduction from @stephengrahamjones.

On Hawk's incredible journey from being a non-reader to a new writer to a community builder.

www.lifewritingpodcast.com - LINK IN BIO

@vintageanchorbooks

@dr.littlebadger

@rebeccaroanhorse

@dh.trujillo

#tommyorange

#TananariveDue

#sistahscifi

##NeverWhistleAtNight

[kestrellady]

December 2024 Reading Wrap Up

Stand Out Books from December Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig This is a new-adult dark fantasy, the sequel to One Dark Window. I really appreciated the world building in these and the new perspectives in the second book helped keep the action moving and the stakes high.

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon This is the first in a series of historical (1970s) mysteries featuring a Native protagonist in the Red River region of North Dakota/Minnesota. I thought this was a good introduction to the series and the characters, though it took me a little to get into.

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik I really loved this short story collection, with stories from the world of Scholomance and Temeraire as well as stand alone stories and a peek at Novik's next world.

What I'm Reading Now I picked up, read the first hundred pages, and then set down two books in the middle of last month, Vermilion and The First Girl Child. They just didn't grip me like I hoped and I had lots of other things I wanted to read and finish, but I'm hoping to finish them soon. I've also started Rebecca Solnit's Hope in the Dark, which was recommended by several people after the election.

What I'm Looking Forward to in January The next Rosalind Thorne Mystery just came out and I'm always excited for those. I've also been waiting for proper midwinter before starting Susanna Clarke's newest The Wood at Midwinter, so that'll probably be this month. And I've put a couple of highly talked about books on hold, Full Speed to a Crash Landing and The Teller of Small Fortunes so hopefully those live up to the hype! Otherwise I'm also looking forward to starting my challenge books. I think I've probably added more than I know I can reasonably manage, so I'm hoping that they are more easily readable than in past years, so I can get through them.

Follow me on The StoryGraph!

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

Compiled and edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Last Jr.

This collection of twenty-six short stories provides an interesting and different look at some issues I have never thought about. In reading through reviews of this work I found that some reviewers  were able to relate to more of the stories than other readers and some readers were unable to relate much at all. Most went into reading believing the stories would be scary, horror stories, or put them on edge – some did, and some didn’t, in my opinion.

The stories that had the biggest impact on me were:

* KASHTUKA by Mathilda Zeller in which a young woman is pushed by her mother to go with someone she doesn’t want to be with to cook and help with a party. A ghost/scary story is told briefly and seems to allow a Kashtuka to materialize and kill a few people – the twist at the end was a grabber indeed.

* WHITE HILLS by Rebecca Roanhorse looks at what a woman might do to maintain a better quality of life than she was raised in. I hated Marissa’s mother-in-law and husband and really questioned the decision she made at the end of the story.

* SNAKES ARE REBORN IN THE DARK by D.H. Trujillo’s story brought in a bit of magic and touch of horror while talking about respecting and honoring ancient wall/cave paintings.

* BEFORE I GO by Norris Black dealt with grief and loss and made me hope I never run into Mother Night.

* DEAD OWLS by Mona Susan Power is a cold story with ghostly encounters that I hope to never experience myself.

* NAVAJOS DON’T WEAR ELK TEETH by Conley Lyons was dark and disturbing with a main character I wanted to shake and tell to spend time with someone else…someone safer, less abusive, and better for him…that had a darker ending too.

* WINGLESS by Marcie R. Rendon dealt with two boys in a foster care situation no child should find themselves in. I cringe thinking about that story and hoped at the end they both found a brighter future somewhere somehow.

There were a LOT of stories and though I couldn’t relate to all of them, the stories above were the ones that stood out the most to me and will linger longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4 Stars

BLURB

A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” Featuring stories by: Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce Young Wolf • Mathilda ZellerMany Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home. These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 186 - Suspense Fiction

This episode we’re discussing the fiction genre of Suspense! We talk about crime, mysteries, horror, and even suspense!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Ascension by Nicholas Binge

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 edited by Lisa Unger and Steph Cha

Malice by Keigo Higashino

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon J. Bolton

Alice in Borderland by Haro Aso (Wikipedia)

Night Fever by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

Reckless by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson

Read But Not Mentioned

Find Me by Anne Fraser

Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman

The Midnight Line: Jack Reacher #22 by Lee Child

The Phantom Scientist by Robin Cousin, translated by Edward Gauvin

Wyrd, vol. 1 by Curt Pires and Antonio Fuso

Colorless, vol 1 by Kent

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark

Other Media We Mentioned

Scalped by Jason Aaron, R.M. Guera, and others 

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft (Wikipedia)

Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman

Small Game by Blair Braverman

Links, Articles, and Things

Hark! Podcast

Category:Fiction about death games (Wikipedia)

What Matthew described as “escape room fiction”

Final girl (Wikipedia)

20 Suspense Novels by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

A Person of Interest by Susan Choi

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Sleeping with Strangers by Eric Jerome Dickey

The Between by Tananarive Due

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell Hall

The Mantis by Kotaro Isaka

My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

Are You Sara? by S.C. Lalli

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley

Ride or Die by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu

Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda, translated by Alison Watts

Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon

There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh

In the Dark We Forget by Sandra S.G. Wong

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, December 19th it’s time for our Favourite Reads of 2023!

Then on Tuesday, January 2nd it’s time for trains, planes, and automobiles (and bicycles) as we discuss non-fiction books about Transit and Transportation!

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: More New Mysteries

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen

Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret - but it's not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept - his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.

Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy - and Irene’s death is only the beginning.

When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.

The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay

Library director Lindsey Norris is happy to learn the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family’s vast book collection. However, when Lindsey and the library staff arrive at the old Victorian estate to gather the books, things take a sinister turn. One of the bookcases reveals a secret passage, leading to a room where a skeleton is found, clutching an old copy of The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Lindsey does a quick check of missing persons, using the distinctive 80s era clothing worn by the deceased to determine a time frame, and discovers that Briar Creek has an unsolved missing person’s case from 1989. A runaway bride went missing just weeks after her wedding. No suspects were ever arrested and the cold case remains unsolved. Lindsey and the crafternoon crew decide that justice is overdue and set about solving the old murder mystery, using some novel ideas to crack the case.

This is the 13th volume in the “Library Lover’s Mystery” series. 

Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon

Set in 1970s Minnesota on the White Earth Reservation, Pinckley Prize–winner Marcie R. Rendon’s gripping new mystery follows Cash Blackbear, a young Ojibwe woman, as she attempts to discover the truth about the disappearances of Native girls and their newborns.

A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe.

Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman, sometimes helps Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, on his investigations. Now she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will take her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home.

When Cash happens upon two small graves in the yard of a rural, “speak-in-tongues kinda church,” Cash is pulled into the lives of the malevolent pastor and his troubled wife while yet another Native woman dies in a mysterious manner.

This is the third volume in the “Cash Blackbear Mysteries” series. 

Murder at the Serpentine Bridge by Andrea Penrose

Charlotte, now the Countess of Wrexford, would like nothing more than a summer of peace and quiet with her new husband and their unconventional family and friends. Still, some social obligations must be honored, especially with the grand Peace Celebrations unfolding throughout London to honor victory over Napoleon.

But when Wrexford and their two young wards, Raven and Hawk, discover a body floating in Hyde Park’s famous lake, that newfound peace looks to be at risk. The late Jeremiah Willis was the engineering genius behind a new design for a top-secret weapon, and the prototype is missing from the Royal Armory’s laboratory. Wrexford is tasked with retrieving it before it falls into the wrong hands. But there are unsettling complications to the case - including a family connection.

Soon, old secrets are tangling with new betrayals, and as Charlotte and Wrexford spin through a web of international intrigue and sumptuous parties, they must race against time to save their loved ones from harm - and keep the weapon from igniting a new war...

This is the 6th volume in the “Wrexford & Sloane” series. 

There Are No Happy Loves by Sergio Olguín

The third volume in Olguin's "Buenos Aires" thriller series starring the gutsy, raunchy investigative reporter Veronica Rosenthal.

Haunted by nightmares of her past, Veronica is soon involved in a new investigation. Darío, the sole survivor of a car accident that supposedly killed all his family, is convinced that his wife and child have in fact survived and that his wife has abducted their child. Then a truck searched in the port of Buenos Aires on suspicion that it is carrying drugs, is revealed to be transporting human body parts. These seemingly separate incidents prove to be tied in a shadowy web of complicity involving political and religious authorities. This is a dazzling thriller based on real events in Argentina but also a story about the possibilities of love, in which jealousy, eroticism, humor and even elusive moments of happiness make an appearance.

[dramyhsturgis]

Halloween 2020, Day 12

(Photo is “Spooky Woods” by GypsyMist.)

Do you consider crime thrillers and murder mysteries good reading fare for the Halloween season? 

I do.

And I’m glad that we’re in a time when crime fiction by Indigenous American writers is increasingly recognized and celebrated. Here’s a terrific article by Lakota author David Heska Wanbli Weiden for CrimeReads: “Why Indigenous Crime Fiction Matters.” He also contributed this useful reading list for The Strand: “Seven Essential Native American Crime Novels.”

Speaking of David Heska Wanbli Weiden, I read, thoroughly enjoyed, and highly recommend his gripping 2020 novel Winter Counts, which is a (to borrow the official description) “groundbreaking thriller about a vigilante on a Native American reservation who embarks on a dangerous mission to track down the source of a heroin influx.” A tense and engrossing read. 

And speaking of his essay on “Why Indigenous Crime Fiction Matters,” I was very glad to see Cherokee novelist John Rollin Ridge mentioned front and center. Earlier this year in my monthly “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast, on Episode 628, I discussed how we can trace parts of Batman’s origin back to John Rollin Ridge and his fiction. 

(Photo by Yours Truly.)

Perhaps my favorite discovery this year is the wonderful Cash Blackbear mystery/crime series, including Murder on the Red River (2017) and Girl Gone Missing (2019), by White Earth Nation author Marcie R. Rendon. Set during the Vietnam Conflict, these books follow 19-year-old Cash Blackbear -- “aged-out foster child, girl pool shark, truck driver from Minnesota’s White Earth reservation” -- who asks questions, has dreams, and regularly helps out her friend Wheaton, the cop who is her family by choice rather than blood, as he solves crimes. These books deliver on mood and atmosphere while also telling difficult, important, meaningful stories.

Here is one of Cash Blackbear’s vivid and haunting dreams:

Cash pulled herself up and out of her window. Her heart beat in her ears and she shivered uncontrollably. Her eyes darted left and right as she ran barefoot across the damp ground. She reached the plowed field. Her foot sank into the cold, damp dirt. When she tried to pull her foot up, her front leg sank further into the earth. She threw herself forward, clawing with bare hands, hearing the heavy, labored breathing of the person chasing her. Fear forced her from her body so that she was soon flying above herself. She looked down to see her body stretched out in the mud below, buried to her knees, arms flailing, hair catching in her hands. Instantly, the body in the field changed from herself struggling to two paler, longer-legged, blonde women. The young women looked up at Cash. They mouthed, “Help me, Help me.”

- from Marcie R. Rendon, Girl Gone Missing (2019)

[zoe-bug]

a common misconception is the assumption that god created flowers on a higher plane than dirt

a common misconception, Marcie R. Rendon

[thumbedpages]

Marcie R. Rendon - Murder On The Red River