The best book I read this month was a mystery by Native American author Marcie R. Rendon, Murder on the Red River. Set in 1970 along the Minnesota-North Dakota border, Murder on the Red River follows Cash Blackbear as she explores the circumstances surrounding the death of a Native American farm worker.

As the story follows Cash, we learn about her background as an Indian child in white foster homes (SPOILER: she was not treated well), as an itinerant farm worker who supplements her income hustling pool, and as the surrogate daughter to the local sheriff.

What grabbed me as a reader was the book’s narrative voice. It was spot on and suited Cash perfectly. I was so captivated by the voice and the story that I read the book in two sittings and then immediately ordered the sequel, Girl Gone Missing.

Despite this being a short book (199 pages), the pace of the story did not feel rushed at all. In fact, the story lacked the dogged single-mindedness common in so many mysteries. That’s a good thing, as such single-mindedness would not have suited these characters. It would have felt disingenuous.

I am now a few pages into the sequel, and I fervently hope this becomes an on-going series. I want lots more Cash Blackbear.