The best book I read this month—Girl Gone Missing—was the sequel to the best book I read last month—Murder on the Red River by Native American author Marcie R. Rendon. There’s no sophomore slump in Girl Gone Missing. Everything I loved about the first book is there in the second: the narrative voice, the strong protagonist, the wandering pace.

What stood out for me in this one was Cash’s resourcefulness. It was there in the first book, but it really shined in this one. Whereas the first book centered on a murder, this one centers on a missing person’s case. Specifically, the disappearance of a white classmate of Cash’s at the local community college. As Cash pursues the “case,” she becomes endangered and relies on her wits to survive.

The supporting cast grows in this book too. We not only learn more about the sheriff who took Cash under his wing, we also meet Cash’s long lost brother—a veteran just returned from Vietnam and struggling with PTSD.

In some ways, this book was a bit darker than its predecessor, but it was no less satisfying. I have no idea if a third book in the series is coming, but I certainly hope there is!