Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Soho Crime (2022), 240 pages
Description
"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"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bfister
As the novel opens, it's early spring and Cash Blackbear is getting a ride across the flooded Red River Valley to meet with Sheriff Wheaton, her friend and former guardian, who needs her help identifying a native woman found dead. Cash is Ojibwe and can ask around the White Earth reservation to see
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, the third in a series but the first I have read. Cash is an interesting figure, raised in abusive foster homes, straddling the White Earth and white communities as she plays pool, takes college classes, and drinks beer. The pacing is amiable and builds slowly to a dramatic resolution, tapering off afterward, keeping Cash's story well braided with the mystery plot. The style of writing is deceptively flat, like the landscape, but its matter-of-factness is never clumsy or inelegant. It fits Cash's straightforward character and pairs interestingly with the elements that are supernatural, but feel natural. I especially appreciated that the author doesn't pause to explain things to white folks; it's Cash's story, on her terms. I'm glad Soho is reissuing the previous books in the series and hope it will bring Rendon a larger audience.
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what she can learn. Her inquiries lead her to a charismatic church out on the prairie led by a handsome pastor. There's something wrong, there. Cash sees a dark shadow lurking around the nearby cemetery where two graves raise questions. Another one of Wheaton's Ojibwe proteges names the dark shadow and takes her to a woman who can provide protective medicine. Clearly something bad is going on at that church and Cash is going to find out what it is. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, the third in a series but the first I have read. Cash is an interesting figure, raised in abusive foster homes, straddling the White Earth and white communities as she plays pool, takes college classes, and drinks beer. The pacing is amiable and builds slowly to a dramatic resolution, tapering off afterward, keeping Cash's story well braided with the mystery plot. The style of writing is deceptively flat, like the landscape, but its matter-of-factness is never clumsy or inelegant. It fits Cash's straightforward character and pairs interestingly with the elements that are supernatural, but feel natural. I especially appreciated that the author doesn't pause to explain things to white folks; it's Cash's story, on her terms. I'm glad Soho is reissuing the previous books in the series and hope it will bring Rendon a larger audience.
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LibraryThing member Spencer28
This series keeps getting better as it follows 19-year old Renee "Cash" Blackbear in 1970s Minnesota. Aside from the mystery, the period touches are intringuing. Cash, an Ojibwe, was raised in a series of foster homes separate from her heritage--she doesn't know the Ojibwe language and is called a
Thanks to Soho Press for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.
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"town Indian" by her peers. She has a mentor of sorts in the local sheriff who calls upon her skills from time to time, but otherwise she spends her time hustling pool, working odd jobs, and completing the necessary homework for her college classes. Cash is a complex character with a unique perspective on life, and I'm eager to see where she goes. Thanks to Soho Press for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
Marcie Rendon has created a series with such authenticity, and such a nuanced main character, that I want it to go on for a good long time. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes a good mystery, a strong main character, a superb sense of place, and a writing style that draws readers
One of the best things about this series is watching Cash Blackbear's world open before her very eyes. This nineteen-year-old has survived a series of abusive foster parents and back-breaking work as a farmhand (since the age of eleven). Her life only began to take a turn for the better when she became emancipated at the age of sixteen. She's had an apartment of her own since then, and she's been under the caring, watchful eye of Sheriff Wheaton, a man I would love to know more about.
With Wheaton's encouragement, Cash has started going to college. She knows when she must study. She knows when she needs to get her laundry and housecleaning done. She keeps in touch with the farmers in the area so she knows when there will be work, and when she's not driving her Ford Ranchero, she spends the rest of her time shooting pool in a local bar. She's quite good, and the money she wins helps pay the rent.
Cash is a young woman who knows a lot but doesn't want much. Why dream of things she can't have (or things that will be taken away from her)? This is what her life has taught her so far. But things can change, and they are during the course of this series. Cash has even begun thinking about buying her own house because, if she does, no one can ever tell her to leave. This young woman is sad, sharp, funny, and very intuitive. It's been a pleasure getting to know her.
In Sinister Graves, Cash works to find out what happened to the dead Native girls, and it's not easy. She's going to have to deal with a whole new kind of crazy as she searches for answers. This character and her investigations are so addictive that I can't wait for the next book in the series. Bring it on!
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
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right into the heart of each book. You could pick up Sinister Graves and read it without feeling lost, but to get the full effect of Cash Blackbear and the life she's had to lead in the Red River country of 1970s Minnesota and North Dakota, I highly recommend reading the books in order, starting with Murder on the Red River and continuing with Girl Gone Missing.One of the best things about this series is watching Cash Blackbear's world open before her very eyes. This nineteen-year-old has survived a series of abusive foster parents and back-breaking work as a farmhand (since the age of eleven). Her life only began to take a turn for the better when she became emancipated at the age of sixteen. She's had an apartment of her own since then, and she's been under the caring, watchful eye of Sheriff Wheaton, a man I would love to know more about.
With Wheaton's encouragement, Cash has started going to college. She knows when she must study. She knows when she needs to get her laundry and housecleaning done. She keeps in touch with the farmers in the area so she knows when there will be work, and when she's not driving her Ford Ranchero, she spends the rest of her time shooting pool in a local bar. She's quite good, and the money she wins helps pay the rent.
Cash is a young woman who knows a lot but doesn't want much. Why dream of things she can't have (or things that will be taken away from her)? This is what her life has taught her so far. But things can change, and they are during the course of this series. Cash has even begun thinking about buying her own house because, if she does, no one can ever tell her to leave. This young woman is sad, sharp, funny, and very intuitive. It's been a pleasure getting to know her.
In Sinister Graves, Cash works to find out what happened to the dead Native girls, and it's not easy. She's going to have to deal with a whole new kind of crazy as she searches for answers. This character and her investigations are so addictive that I can't wait for the next book in the series. Bring it on!
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
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LibraryThing member kmartin802
When the dead body of a Native woman shows up in Ada after the flooding of the Red River subsides, Sheriff Wheaton calls on Cash Blackbear to see if she can offer any insights. Her search takes her back to the reservation where she was born and to an isolated Christian Church which seems to be a
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focus for missing woman and babies. Cash is a great character. The setting is wonderfully realistic. The mystery is engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmartin802
The third Cash Blackbear mystery starts when a body floats into Ada during one spring Red River flood. The unidentified Native woman has only one clue: a torn page from a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe.
Since its Spring Break, Cash has time to help Wheaton do some investigating. Her
Cash meets an older Native lady who understands Cash's gifts and who offers her a medicine bag to help protect her as she is investigating. And Cash needs the protection as her investigation leads her to an isolated church with some strange beliefs and a pastor with mesmerizing appeal.
This was another exciting episode in an engaging series. This one talks about Native women and their babies and just how vulnerable they were and still are. The author's note talks about the many, many bodies of Native kids recently found on the grounds of the boarding schools that they were forced to attend.
The setting is very well done in this story. The reader can certainly feel Cash's love for the Red River Valley in every page. Cash's resilience and emotional fragility make her an amazing character.
Since its Spring Break, Cash has time to help Wheaton do some investigating. Her
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investigation takes her onto the White Earth Reservation. She was born there but has been in the foster system since she was three years old and was raised on an assortment of farms owned by White people. Cash meets an older Native lady who understands Cash's gifts and who offers her a medicine bag to help protect her as she is investigating. And Cash needs the protection as her investigation leads her to an isolated church with some strange beliefs and a pastor with mesmerizing appeal.
This was another exciting episode in an engaging series. This one talks about Native women and their babies and just how vulnerable they were and still are. The author's note talks about the many, many bodies of Native kids recently found on the grounds of the boarding schools that they were forced to attend.
The setting is very well done in this story. The reader can certainly feel Cash's love for the Red River Valley in every page. Cash's resilience and emotional fragility make her an amazing character.
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LibraryThing member caanderson
A really good series of mysteries by Marcie E Rendon. Sinister Graves has a creepy vibe. The story moves at a good pace. The characters are outstanding.
Awards
Minnesota Book Awards (Finalist — Genre Fiction — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022
Physical description
240 p.; 8.52 inches
ISBN
1641293837 / 9781641293839