David Heska Wanbli WeidenReseñas

This book is the first that I have read about life on a reservation. It has inspired me to learn more about it. The author provides recommended reading In the "author's note".
As a thriller, it delivered! The story was well written and the characters interesting. The author created names such as Delia Kills in Water" and Virgil Wounded Horse, and eventually it becomes evident what the names represent. This added an extra layer of interest for me, as I anticipated the "reveal" for each character.
And, a satisfying ending.

great first book. shows what a mystery can do, use the story to highlight social and political issues.
The references to the native foods movement and to some cermonies were interesting and the characters were appealing. a bit on the violent side.

This is a breathtaking ride - I started reading this afternoon and couldn't put it down.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was about a 2.5 for me. It started great but lost steam and I couldn’t stop thinking that I had read this plot so many times before but better.

Well-constructed story and excellent context.

When the legal system fails the Lakota people of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, they turn to Virgil Wounded Horse for justice. Virgil is a paid enforcer and justice comes in the form of his fists. Virgil is also the protagonist/narrator of this novel who finds himself in the midst of a crisis when drug dealers from Denver introduce heroin to the reservation. The problem hits Virgil hard when his nephew and ward Nathan overdoses, and then is charged with dealing pills.

Virgil is not your typical mystery protagonist, as he has no detective skills, but he relies on his wits and experience to uncover a deadly conspiracy. The novel is good at offering a respectful warts-and-all depiction of reservation life and the ongoing historical injustices of the settler US government. The mystery gets a bit wonky at times, but I found the novel gripping all the same for its depiction of everyday life for the Lakota and its great character development.

I liked how it described life on a reservation in a real and respectful way. I learned a lot about current Lakota culture. The characters were interesting and complicated in a good way. The mystery aspect of the story were secondary in my opinion.

I really enjoyed my reading experience with this one. The writing flows nicely, it tackles a lot of heavy themes, and I didn’t want to put it down. The characters are richly textured (absolutely love the main character Virgil - so wonderfully flawed and complex) and there are some shocking moments of violence. It’s crime fiction that is both slow burn and character driven (two of my FAVORITE descriptors), but the storyline also goes in directions I didn’t anticipate. That being said, once I got a handle on what was happening in the first half then some events in the second half were kind of predictable.

I’m trying to read more works by indigenous authors, and that’s one reason I picked this one up (plus my wife read it and loved it; she generally has good taste

The author does a good job of putting himself into the character of a Lakota ‘enforcer’.
He creates relationships and their complexity to bring the characters to life.
I don’t completely get the title but know a Dakota winter is harsh.

K.M. Szpara is a master of writing traumatic experiences, and the road to recovery. [b:Docile|40522814|Docile|K.M. Szpara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557777604l/40522814._SY75_.jpg|62893543] was one of my favorite reads from last year. So when I received the email from NetGalley announcing that I was approved for a copy of First, Become Ashes I squealed out loud. I thought I was prepared to be broken and rebuilt. But no. I wasn't prepared at all.

Every point of view in this book is masterfully constructed. The profound level of anguish within each chapter draws you in and doesn't let go. I think I read this book in less than 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down. I had to know if the characters made it out of their mental struggles, and were able to see the other side. If Lark can find the rainbow with everything that he experienced, that has to mean their is hope for the rest of us right?

Having read many accounts from outsiders looking in on cults, it was refreshing in a terrifying way to see the innerworkings of a mind within the followers (or anointed). We see the news of cults being "liberated" and often think, "so great those people were freed from a crazy person". But it's not that simple. Real people believed with everything they had in that person. There are real minds facing cognitive dissonance that can't be cured by someone saying "it wasn't real". You can't overcome that level of cognitive dissonance without first burning everything you are as a person, and rebuilding yourself from the ashes.

The way the author tackled this 'after it falls' period, dripped with the feeling that the author did the leg work to understand what goes into being devoted to a cult. Having read Docile, I couldn't imagine any other author writing these experiences.

I was also thankful that the story does not focus on what was done to them during their time behind the gates. Like Docile, the book sets the stage by touching on each aspect of the trauma but lets your mind fill in the rest. By doing this, it gave the book a faster pace, I could envision all the horrors without having to read each transgression on the page. The day to day life while in the cult would have been a book in itself, and that wasn't this story.

Larks journey is empowering in ways I would have never expected. From the connections he makes with outsiders, to the way he comes to terms with his reality being shattered, it's a must read ride. But it's not just him. Every point of view character in this book has a journey that is inspiring, surprising and well written. They were real people that we all know in life.

Calvin was every nerd, wishing the lord of the rings was a place we could visit. I was so thankful for the add in of this con / nerd duo. The two of them brought a comic relief that broke up the horrors of the cult in the right way. It bridged the magic of the cult with the magic of the outside world in a way that amplified the story.

The use of pronouns, gender and sexuality is well crafted. Loved how real it felt, flowing off the characters tongue with ease, not awkwardness or trepidation in the other characters response. It was just apart of society. Normal.

Finally, the use of magic. I don't want to give away spoilers, and it is hard to discuss this aspect of the book without doing so because it was woven into the plot so masterfully you have to read it to understand how much mind f*ckery is going on with it. I mean it's a cult, the magic was obviously a lie. Right? Was it a lie? I NEED TO KNOW.

If you loved Docile, you'll love this book.

Note: LGBT Rep. HP Mention.

Trigger Warnings: Rape, abuse, ptsd, explicit sex, sex with minors.

Virgil Wounded Knee a half Lakota and half white man is a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. When the tribal police of FBI do not act on an injustice, Virgil does. He's raising his nephew Nathan. One day Virgil comes home and finds Nathan barely responsive. Virgil finds out where Nathan got the heroin and vows revenge. A short time later opiods were found in Nathan's locker. Virgil finds out a Mexican Cartel is bringing heroin onto the rez. Winter Counts is an outstanding first novel and I look forward to the next Virgil Wounded Knee novel.

More of these stories are needed and Weiden has a new fan for life. Already written in my go-to genre, I was intrigued early on with his in-depth, no holds barred, inside look at life on a reservation. Having grown up around and frequently visiting a reservation of one of the tribes mentioned in this book, I have seen firsthand a lot of what he is writing about, but I’m still shocked from descriptions regarding laws, justice, and politics. Thankfully, he includes more reading at the end of the book, and upon finishing, I was looking up those titles at the library.

Stories revolving around drugs and alcohol always hit in a personal way, resonating with my own personal experiences with friends and family. This is a story I have lived and watched play out multiple times, and Virgil’s vigilantism is the kind of action I could only fantasize about playing out. Despite the murky legalities of a man for hire, the scenes play out with a clear moral code, but with enough brutality that leaves you feeling uncomfortable, thus humanizing the experience.

It is fun reading the spot-on descriptions of Denver, the only other state I’ve lived aside from my home in Washington State. I have traveled the same streets mentioned in the book, the infamous Colfax, I worked at a Starbucks on Federal, I lived so close to the dog food factory that I could smell it in my living room depending which way the wind blew, and of course, Casa Bonita and their memorable sopapillas.

Further enriching this novel are the everyday Lakota words and phrases peppered throughout the entire story. Many are explained, but some I still googled to get a better understanding and context. Ceremonies and customs still performed to this day are described with a reverence lending to the sacredness of these practices. The commitment and loyalty to the tribe is stirring and beautiful.

Everything about this novel is exquisite and well executed and I’m anxious to see more from Mr. Weiden.

Thank you to Harper Collins for an advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. I really liked the characters in this book and the Native American voice. The story was paced well and exciting. What is keeping me from giving it 4 stars was the violence. Definitely not opposed to violence, but this made me cringe a bit.

Wonderful book! Captivating characters,fast-moving plot, and sadly-realistic story. Please read this book!

3.5

Virgil Wounded Horse works as an enforcer, punishing criminals that the justice system won't. He is pulled into an investigation of drug gangs when his orphaned nephew overdoses on newly introduced heroin and is framed for selling pills. Violent denouement involves native ceremony.

What an amazing Debut. A fantastic crime thriller based on a Indian Reservation. Have to say one of the best Debut Thrillers I’ve read in a long time. I really look forward to the next book from this exceptional gifted writer.

An Edgar Award finalist for best first mystery novel and it deserves it's acclaim. The book centers on a tribal tough guy (fixer) and his foruteen year old nephew who he is tasked to raise. When his nephew almost dies of a drug overdose (Virgil) is out to find out who is bringing drugs to reservation. The search leads him to two warring gangs working out of Denver. The book is great as it is able to couple a great mystery with a sensitive look into the author's Native American culture.

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden is a 2020 Ecco publication.

Criminal cases on the Lakota Rosebun reservation in South Dakota are usually handled by the Tribal Council, but more serious ones are handed over to the American feds.

The feds, in turn, rarely opt to pursue the cases presented them, unless they think it might be high profile. This opens the door to vigilantism and that’s the job Virgil Wounded Knee performs- as an 'enforcer', doling out his own brand of justice.

When approached to investigate the flow of heroin onto the reservation, Virgil is not inclined to pursue it, but when his own nephew, Nathan, OD’s, he starts paying attention.

Heading to Denver with his former girlfriend, Marie, the pair search for Rick Crow, the man they believe has connections to a drug cartel and is behind the infiltration of drugs onto the Rosebud reservation.

Their investigation leads them into unexpected places as Virgil, who is of mixed heritage, must learn to rely on the native beliefs he has long ago dismissed…

Meanwhile, Nathan’s problems multiply when a stash of drugs is found in his school locker. This places more pressure on Virgil to get to the bottom of things before Nathan winds up behind bars…

This is another book that has been on my list for a while. I knew it would be a good book, and sure enough, this novel turned out to be a multi-layered crime story that tackles a multitude of cultural issues, while drawing the reader into Virgil’s internal struggle, as he wrestles with his own demons.

Although there are a few issues with the writing, for a debut novel, and an award winning one, at that, the story has a great deal of depth, and is one I’d recommend, and not just to those who enjoy crime fiction.

It’s an eye-opening inside look at life on a Lakota reservation and the challenges of indigenous people, as well as an absorbing character study, which will appeal to a broader audience as well.

4 stars

This novel has a competent beginning and a snappy if improbable climax and end, but dithers throughout the center, marking time against processes outside the control of the main character whose progress with the central issues of the plot is nill during that span while any non-naive reader known more. I felt that the writer not only didn't trust the reader with the guts and bones of the main character, leaving us more with the idea of him, but he didn't fully trust his characters either. Yes. we should know more particulars of why laws under which the reservations are administered suck, and the costs of that, but relevance doesn't guarantee a good read.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s Winter Counts is largely set on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where Virgil Wounded Horse offers a measure of justice and revenge to crime victims who are ignored by both their own tribal council and local law enforcement officers. In simple terms, Virgil is the local enforcer — and he is good at his job.

It is, of course, impossible not to compare a novel like Winter Counts to those of writers like Craig Johnson, Tony Hillerman, Anne Hillerman, C.J. Box, and others who cover much of the same territory. The good news is that David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s debut novel proves that he can hold his on with the best of them. Several members of the club have, in fact, endorsed Winter Counts because of its authenticity, cultural insight, and riveting storytelling. Of all of them, I think that C.J. Box put it best:

“I’ve been waiting most of my life for this book without realizing it. Winter Counts is a knowing, authentic, closely observed novel about modern-day Lakotas that rings absolutely true, warts and all. The sense of place is breathtaking and raw. It’s a hell of a debut.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t give much credence to author blurbs, figuring that they are more often than not just another case of two writers scratching each other’s back. But now that I’ve read Winter Counts for myself, I could not agree more with the blurbs splashed all over the novel’s back cover.

Virgil Wounded Horse, who as a kid was badly bullied by some of the same people he sees every day on the reservation, knows what it’s like to feel helpless and afraid. That is probably one of the reasons he is always ready (and why he enjoys doing it) to give an unforgettable beating as final warning to those who would otherwise not suffer a thing for their crimes on the reservation. But then Virgil’s nephew Nathan overdoses on the suddenly available heroin he was given for free at the reservation school and nearly dies. Game changer…now it’s all very personal and it’s going to take more than an “unforgettable” beating to satisfy the intense anger that Virgil Wounded Horse is filled with.

With the help of Marie Short Bear, his ex-girlfriend, Virgil tracks the dealer to Denver, but that’s where things get complicated enough to limit his options. Virgil learns that the man he is looking for is only the link into the reservation for some other very powerful people looking for a new market for their product — and that much more powerful men than him are already looking for a way to put the heroin dealers out of business. Unfortunately, Nathan is about to become a pawn in a scheme that could easily get them all killed.

Bottom Line: Winter Counts (winter counts were the Lakota calendar system) is a genuine thriller, one of those coming-of-age stories in which the kid nearing adulthood will be lucky to survive the process. Weiden is one heck of a storyteller, and it’s hard not to tear right through this one. But the novel is so much more than that. Weiden is himself an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, and he has filled Winter Counts with cultural insights and history that combine to make it all seem terribly real. His explanation of how and why both the American and Tribal legal systems all too often fail Native Americans is a heartbreaking one. Fiction, though, often spreads the truth more readily than nonfiction accounts of the same situation. Perhaps that is the best thing about books like Winter Counts and Craig Johnson’s more recent Daughter of the Morning Star. Read novels like these and tell your friends about them. Maybe someone will finally listen.

An intense, compelling, fascinating read. The stakes are so high from minute one, and the issues about drug trafficking, jurisdictional issues with justice, and the complications of finances on reservations are made abundantly clear without coming across as patronizing or particularly pain-porn in tone. I had a hard time putting this down, especially in the last third, and my heart was racing the entire time! Definitely recommend for folks wanting to read more books by Native authors—I think it’s deeply approachable, and grabs you in the opening chapter and doesn’t let up the whole time!

A generic crime noir plot distinguishes itself by being set on the Rosebud reservation of the Sicangu Lakota. Virgil Wounded Horse is a broke and always down-on-his-luck vigilante for hire in a place where law enforcement does not always deliver justice as criminals fall into the cracks between tribal and federal jurisdictions. He's hired to look into/run off some new drug dealers in the area, but the case becomes personal when a relative falls victim to their fentanyl-laced heroin.

Virgil is not much of an investigator; his toolbox is limited to slowly meandering around asking, "Have you seen this guy?" and clumsily breaking into places that rarely yield any clues. But even as he blunders through the case it is heartening to see him slowly rebuild his life by re-establishing and deepening connections with family, community, and his cast-aside spirituality.

i'm not sure this quite qualifies as a mystery or a thriller or even just a novel either, but whatever it is, it is very very very well done. he writes well, he tells a good and engaging story, he has full and interesting characters, and he has a larger point that he's making. it's really everything that i look for in a book. it's not perfect, and there are a few instances where the writing wasn't as good or he stumbled just a tad, but in general, this is quite impressive, especially for a first book.

he manages to weave so much information about native history and lakota heritage, while not feeling like he's giving you a lecture or taking away from the story. he gives you this information in narration, in dialogue, in ceremony, in a book someone's read, in so many different ways. so it never feels like too much or is distracting. it's quite something.

i love that this is about the plot - can virgil stop heroin from coming into the rez, is nathan being set up or is he dealing pills - but it's even more about how virgil comes back into his native identity and heritage (and about lakota traditions more generally). the naming ceremony at the end for virgil and nathan made me cry.

there are many reasons that this book works so well, and many ways this book can appeal to different kinds of readers. a pretty tremendous first book. a real feat.½