Publisher: Ecco Books
Release Date: August 25, 2020

WINTER COUNTS is an impressive debut novel from David Heska Wanbli Weiden. It’s a gritty and often dark crime thriller that follows Virgil Wounded Horse, a hired vigilante living on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. When tribal police and the feds fail to deliver justice, Virgil takes the law into his own hands. He finds himself personally involved in a dangerous case when his nephew falls prey to hard drugs being pushed on the reservation.

This was a compelling slow-burn mystery, as well as an eye-opening look at the hardships Indigenous people face in this country. Lakota traditions and history are woven throughout this story. I loved the well-drawn cast of characters. Virgil struggles with his Lakota identity, and I greatly enjoyed watching his character grow as he fought to save his nephew. — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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