Marcie R Rendon

"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...

"Most people call Renee Blackbear—the nineteen-year-old Anishinabe woman—'Cash.' Why? Because she drives trucks for cash. She plays pool for cash. She pays with cash. Now she’s in college, thanks to Sheriff Wheaton, the guy who pulled her from her mother’s wrecked car when she was three. Cash has navigated through foster homes and, at 13, was working farms, driving truck. Turns out she’s smart, real smart, but she’s a duck out of water...

"Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home. These wholly original and...