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
