Winter Counts: A Novel

Winter Counts: A Novel

ANTHONY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL THRILLER AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL “ Winter Counts  is a marvel. It’s a thriller with a beating heart and jagged teeth.”   ―Tommy Orange, author of  There There A Best Book of 2020: NPR * Publishers Weekly * Library Journal * CrimeReads * Goodreads * Sun Sentinel * SheReads * MysteryPeople   A 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.  Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop. They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost. Winter Counts  is a tour-de-force of crime fiction, a bracingly honest look at a long-ignored part of American life, and a twisting, turning story that’s as deeply rendered as it is thrilling. Winner, Spur Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Best First Novel * Winner, Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel * Shortlisted, Best First Novel, Bouchercon Anthony Awards * Shortlisted, Best First Novel, International Thriller Writers * Shortlisted, Dashiell Hammett Prize for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing, International Association of Crime Writers * Longlisted, VCU Cabell First Novel Award * Shortlisted, Barry Award for Best First Novel * Shortlisted, Reading the West Award * Shortlisted, Colorado Book Award (Thriller) An Amazon Best Book of August 2020: Virgil Wounded Horse has lost many things: his parents, his sobriety, his dignity, his beloved sister, and Marie, the woman he loves. Sober again, living on the Rosebud Reservation, he lives among his people but turns his back on their traditions. Half-Lakota, half-white, the taunts of “half-breed” still ring in his ears. He’s raising his teenage nephew Nathan, but ekes out a less than family-friendly living by charging money to rough up tribespeople whose crimes have been ignored by the federal government. So when Marie’s dad, a tribal councilman, offers him a big payday to go to Colorado and deliver justice to a fellow Lakota who’s bringing heroin back to the “rez,” Virgil can’t turn his back on that kind of money. But then Nathan overdoses on heroin, and is later arrested, and Virgil suddenly has more skin in the game than he ever wanted. He will need to fight for stakes way higher than the next payday, and he can’t do it alone. Thought-provoking and suspenseful, uplifting and heartbreaking, moving and brutal, Winter Counts is a thriller that delivers so much more than the word thriller promises. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Book Review “The full-throttle, can’t-put-it-downness of this novel is a fact. Winter Counts is a hell of a gripping debut, perfectly plotted; David Heska Wanbli Weiden is a major new voice in crime fiction, indigenous fiction, and American literature.” - Benjamin Percy, author of Suicide Woods and Red Moon "Sizzling. . . . In the grand tradition of trouble-seeking, down-at-the-heels private eyes with strong moral codes, Virgil must confront many obstacles at once. . . . Weiden is from a branch of the Lakota tribe himself, and his book relies on deep research into its history and traditions.  Winter Counts is written with a light touch and a good deal of humor." - New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice “One of this year’s most significant crime-fiction debuts.” - Air Mail “You can zip through 'Winter Counts' for the fast-paced thrills or the chance to learn about native culture, but slow down to enjoy the beauty of Weiden’s writing.” - Washington Post "Timely and smart, this is a powerful narrative about identity and heritage in a shifting world." - NPR.org “[A] gripping, gritty, literary crime novel…a remarkably accomplished debut.” - AARP Magazine " Winter Counts is a once-in-a-generation thriller, an unforgettable debut set in and around South Dakota’s Rosebud Indian Reservation that brims with complex characters, believable conflicts and an urgent message about Native culture, inequities and criminal justice. . . . Propulsive.” - Los Angeles Times “A tale of drugs and violence on the Rosebud Reservation is also a celebration of reviving Lakota traditions. .