From the award-winning author of Winter Counts comes a new thriller about life - and death - on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated are threats coming from the Pine Ridge 705 – a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud – and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.

With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, whose writing ‘melds the gritty realism of Dashiell Hammett with the lyricism of Tommy Orange’ (O, The Oprah Magazine), once again brings us a tour-de-force of crime fiction – and an expansive look at Native American life in a shifting world.

Praise for Winter Counts:

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

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

‘As stunning a debut as I’ve read in a long time' MARK BILLINGHAM

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

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

'Enthralling from the first page to the last, this is a heartfelt and harrowing tour de force' JON COATES, S MAGAZINE

'Virtuoso fare' FINANCIAL TIMES, BEST CRIME BOOKS OF THE YEAR

'A fascinating insight into an often overlooked world, and draws the reader into a satisfying mystery' GUARDIAN, CRIME AND THRILLER PICKS OF THE YEAR

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation and received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. He was a MacDowell Fellow, a Tin House Scholar and the recipient of PEN America's Writing for Justice Fellowship. A lawyer and professor, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his family.