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Winter Counts

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Winter Counts

By: David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Narrated by: Darrell Dennis
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About this listen

 WINNER OF THE ANTHONY, BARRY, THRILLER, LEFTY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

‘Harrowing and heartfelt, assured and highly accomplished. One of the standout thrillers of the year' CHRIS WHITAKER

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, there’s one person you can turn to.

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Native American 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 onto the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism becomes personal. Enlisting the help of his ex-girlfriend, he sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.

Following a lead to Denver, they 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 - but 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.

'An incredible novel . . . where hope and heartbreak are found in equal measure' S. A. COSBY

'A terrific debut – tight and tense, hard-eyed and big-hearted' LOU BERNEY

'I've been waiting most of my life for this book . . . a knowing, authentic, closely observed novel about modern-day Lakotas that rings absolutely true . . . It's a hell of a debut' C. J. BOX

'A blistering and powerful read, a thriller with real heart’ DOUG JOHNSTONE

'Eye-opening, enlightening and entertaining, it's one hell of a good read!' AMER ANWAR

'A powerful, brutal and moving novel . . . A superb read!' ROD REYNOLDS©2021 David Heska Wanbli Weiden (P)2021 Simon & Schuster UK Crime Crime Thrillers Thriller Thriller & Suspense World Literature Fiction Native American Exciting Suspense Mystery Winter

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All stars
Most relevant
well written story, with believable characters. Not the most complex book but moves along nicely to a reasonable climax and end.

Interesting Story

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The information on the Native Americans was interesting and new to me. However the plot was so glacial and slow I just gave up. I was on Chapter 22 5 hours in and hardly anything had happened.

I wanted to like it.

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This book is interesting in providing an insight into contemporary tribal life of North American Indians still yet to recover from the degradations of western expansion. The social and psychological impact is well illustrated in this novel. As a thriller however it's distinctly average with no sense of jeopardy until the final chapter . There are long periods of this book where nothing very much happens and the narration is all a little one paced. Disappointing overall.

Informative but not intriguing

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