Review by Booklist Review
While attending a traditional Blackfeet giveaway ceremony, a girl named Samantha goes missing and is soon found strangled. Quickly, four of her friends become the focus of the murder investigation. The reader follows the points of view of Samantha's friends as they try to unravel the mystery of her death and clear their good names. But it soon becomes clear that they have been keeping secrets--from their families, communities, and one another. And in the end, perhaps one of them really is the killer. Cobell takes an already solid thriller and raises the stakes by setting it on a Blackfeet Nation reservation, shining light upon the problems that plague many Native American communities, including substance abuse, poverty, and the epidemic of violence against Native women and girls. Every character has had their lives impacted by one or more of these, and the struggle against these pervasive issues drags them down like an inexorable tide. The result is a story that is gritty and tense but also showcases the deep-rooted strength Native American communities have to summon hope in challenging times.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Not seen for months, Blackfeet teen Rayanne "Charging at Night" Arnoux seems to be another missing Indigenous girl amid a series of disappeared teens gone uninvestigated. Rayanne leaves behind her Blackfeet Reservation peer group, including her young sister Loren "Different Black Bird," Eli First Kill, Samantha White Tail, Brody Clark, and Mara Racette (who is of white and Blackfeet ancestry). But when Samantha is murdered during a celebration, and the group are the last to see her, they each become suspects. The teens soon realize, however, that there's something worse than being under suspicion; as the case progresses, connections to Rayanne's disappearance become apparent, prompting fear that Samantha's death will become another instance of unsolved crimes against Indigenous girls. Her killer must be apprehended, even if it means they're forced to solve the case themselves, and even if it means condemning one of their own. Via four alternating POVs informed by the intricacies of reservation life, Cobell highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis and delivers a gut-punch of an ending in this timely debut thriller that is by turns spine-tingling and emotionally raw. Ages 13--up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Cobell's debut thriller addresses injustice and homicide within the Montana Blackfeet community. Teenager Rayanne Arnoux has been missing for months, and when her friend Samantha White Tail is murdered at the North American Indian Days festival, fears mount that the two incidents are somehow connected. The story cycles among the four teens (Mara, Loren, Eli, and Brody) who last saw Samantha alive as they come under police scrutiny. Mara, ostracized for returning to reservation life after years spent away, worries that her fights with Samantha and Rayanne will make her a suspect. Loren aggressively searches for answers in the wake of having lost both her sister and her friend. Eli is stigmatized and shunned due to his father's meth addiction, but he is devoted to protecting and raising his younger sister. And Brody's loyalty to his older brother, while an admirable family bond, often works against the group's quest to gather information. The book shines in its character development; there are a lot of initial details to sort through, but each narrator comes into their own after the festival. The thriller elements are more slow-burn than explosive, but Cobell's focus on missing and murdered Indigenous women raises awareness of the grim statistics present in Native American communities. There is some drug and alcohol use, and most characters are members of the Blackfeet Nation. VERDICT Mystery veterans will find familiar tropes leading to the reveal, but the windows into contemporary Native American culture make this a compelling read. Recommended.--Michael Van Wambeke
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Review by Horn Book Review
This page-turning novel set on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana alternates narration among Mara Racette, Loren Arnoux, Brody Clark, and Eli First Kill, with occasional chapters from the point of view of "unknown." Rayanne, Loren's older sister, has been missing for three months, and the police have done little to find her. The novel opens with a powwow, which includes a giveaway ceremony where Rayanne and Loren's family gives gifts to the community in honor of the sisters' late grandfather. Hours later, Samantha, a teen who received one of the gifts, is found strangled in a trailer. The next day a wildfire breaks out, and while trying to stop the fire, Mara's father discovers Rayanne's body. The discovery leads to an investigation that makes everyone who was at the ceremony a suspect, and Loren will stop at nothing to find her sister's killer. Emotion and suspense build as more people close to the protagonists become suspects. As each character fights to prove their innocence, secrets are revealed and longtime friendships are questioned. Cobell's debut novel highlights the impact that the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People has on communities and families; fictional podcast transcripts provide additional information on the topic, as does an appended author's note. Recommended for readers who enjoyed Boulley's Warrior Girl Unearthed (rev. 5/23) and Ferguson's Those Pink Mountain Nights (rev. 9/23). Nicholl Denice MontgomeryMay/June 2024 p.134 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Mara Racette thought her biggest problem was not fitting in--and then one of her classmates went missing and another one was murdered. "If you want to get away with murder, do it on an Indian reservation." After trouble at her old school, Mara finds herself on her father's Blackfeet tribal land in Browning, Montana. She tries to remain under the radar, but that becomes impossible when she and three classmates, Brody Clark, Loren Arnoux, and Eli First Kill, discover the body of a murdered teenage girl during the annual Indian Days celebration. The victim, Samantha White Tail, is connected to all four of them, and they now find themselves suspects. This debut from Cobell, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, alternates between each of the leads' perspectives, casting enough suspicion on each major player to keep armchair sleuths guessing. Transcripts from a true-crime podcast are interspersed, along with segments from "Unknown," a mysterious, anonymous voice whose interludes add to the suspense. Throughout, the author is reverent in small and distinct ways toward Blackfeet tribal customs and craft, which contributes to building a rich setting. The novel skillfully raises awareness of the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women while offering up an unflinching thriller that's full of clever misdirection. This thriller grounded in very real problems doesn't disappoint. (author's note, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith) (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
