Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon

 

First Line: Cash sat in a battered fishing boat on murky floodwater that was headed to the Red River.

 

When spring flood waters wash the body of a young Native woman ashore, Sheriff Wheaton asks Cash Blackbear for help. The nineteen-year-old Ojibwe woman has helped him in the past, and since she doesn't have any college classes she must attend, she agrees. The only thing that may help identify the body is a piece of folded paper found tucked in the woman's bra. It was ripped from a hymnal and is the words to a song in both English and Ojibwe.

 

Trying to track down information through that piece of paper, Cash finds herself on the doorstep of a rural "speaks in tongues" kind of church led by a charismatic preacher and his shadow of a wife. There's something not-quite-right about that couple, but what Cash finds much more troubling are the two small graves in the churchyard. When another young Native woman dies in mysterious circumstances, Cash knows that she must do whatever needs to be done in order to bring an end to these deaths.

 

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Marcie Rendon has created a series with such authenticity, and such a nuanced main character, that I want it to go on for a good long time. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes a good mystery, a strong main character, a superb sense of place, and a writing style that draws readers right into the heart of each book. You could pick up Sinister Graves and read it without feeling lost, but to get the full effect of Cash Blackbear and the life she's had to lead in the Red River country of 1970s Minnesota and North Dakota, I highly recommend reading the books in order, starting with Murder on the Red River and continuing with Girl Gone Missing.

One of the best things about this series is watching Cash Blackbear's world open before her very eyes. This nineteen-year-old has survived a series of abusive foster parents and back-breaking work as a farmhand (since the age of eleven). Her life only began to take a turn for the better when she became emancipated at the age of sixteen. She's had an apartment of her own since then, and she's been under the caring, watchful eye of Sheriff Wheaton, a man I would love to know more about.

With Wheaton's encouragement, Cash has started going to college. She knows when she must study. She knows when she needs to get her laundry and housecleaning done. She keeps in touch with the farmers in the area so she knows when there will be work, and when she's not driving her Ford Ranchero, she spends the rest of her time shooting pool in a local bar. She's quite good, and the money she wins helps pay the rent. 

Cash is a young woman who knows a lot but doesn't want much. Why dream of things she can't have (or things that will be taken away from her)? This is what her life has taught her so far. But things can change, and they are during the course of this series. Cash has even begun thinking about buying her own house because, if she does, no one can ever tell her to leave. This young woman is sad, sharp, funny, and very intuitive. It's been a pleasure getting to know her.

In Sinister Graves, Cash works to find out what happened to the dead Native girls, and it's not easy. She's going to have to deal with a whole new kind of crazy as she searches for answers. This character and her investigations are so addictive that I can't wait for the next book in the series. Bring it on!

Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon

eISBN: 9781641293846

Soho Press © 2022

eBook, 240 pages

 

Amateur Sleuth, #3 Cash Blackbear mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley