Winter Counts

By David Heska Wanbli Weiden

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Goodreads Synopsis

“Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian 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 into the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.

They follow a lead to Denver and 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. He realizes that 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.” (Goodreads)

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My Take

Character Connection

Our Protagonist needs a hug – like a long, enveloped in a cloud, full of rainbows and butterflies kind of hug.  Virgil has had a TOUGH life and unfortunately, as much as you root for him, the connection can fall flat.  I would identify him more as an anti-hero than the guy you feel warm-fuzzies about.  Now, I love a good anti-hero as much as the next girl (HELLOOOOOO Deadpool) – but Virgil Wounded-Horse needed something to drive the deeper connection to the reader. Other characters felt the same – kind of flat but you knew who was on the side you wanted to be on.

Twisty-Turns

I’ve read enough thrillers to not be easily “gotten.”  This one does a good job of not revealing too much while giving you some hints throughout.  I will say I guessed “who-dun-it” a few chapters before the big reveal but it didn’t take away from the story. It was pretty clear who was on either side of the conflict so the twist/reveal wasn’t THAT surprising.

Psych-Links

I appreciate stories that don’t shy away from difficult subjects. Winter Counts deals with racism, substance abuse and addiction, gang violence, and touches on the injustices suffered by the Indiginous People of multiple tribes for centuries.  I appreciate the Own Voice approach taken by David Heska Wanbli Weiden whose personal knowledge of the history and customs of the Sicangu Lakota Nation gave an incredible depth to the story. 

Cine-ability

Winter Counts would definitely translate well on-screen!  I can imagine it in a serial format or as a limited series – it’s dark and gritty so I imagine it like The Ozarks or Narcos. However, in my personal opinion this book is story-driven more than character-driven so a stellar cast would be absolutely necessary to make it work!  Our main cast of characters, in my mind, look like:

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The Merry Murderino’s Overall Rating

Average Goodreads rating is 3.98. My rating comes from overall story-telling, wanting to see the resolution, and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t one specific kill/death/murder that had my jaw literally drop-open with the gruesome description. It’s hard to do that for this murderino, I’m just sad it came in the final chapters. You should read this if you enjoy crime fiction as a genre, if you have an interest in Native/Indiginous culture, or if you are interested in exploring the issues of addiction and drug abuse in a realistic (but fictional) setting.

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