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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On aboriginal reserve lands, justice often needs to be bought and paid for … and dispensed by enforcers!
US law on reserves denies aboriginal police forces the power to prosecute felonies. And federal law mostly ignores felonies on reserve land, with the possible exception of murders and aggravated assault.
“Because of the Major Crimes Act passed by the US Congress in 1885, federal investigators generally have exclusive jurisdiction over felony crimes on reservations, yet they often decline prosecutions in these cases, even when the perpetrator has been apprehended. Although the percentages vary from year to year, federal authorities frequently refuse to prosecute murders, assaults, and sex crimes referred from tribal police departments.”
As a result, Virgil Wounded Horse has found a niche occupation as an enforcer paid to deliver punishment that the law refuses to dispense – in short, a paid thug who gets a free pass from the local aboriginal cops. His involvement with vigilante law becomes more urgent, more personal, and more meaningful when he discovers that his young nephew is facing a long prison term in adult prison for heroin trafficking. He needs to find where the drugs are coming from and he needs to shut them down ... hard, fast, once and for all!
WINTER COUNTS is an exciting, pulse-pounding crime fiction. But it’s also an honest, hard-nosed look at social difficulties facing modern aboriginal communities not to mention a pretty warm-hearted story of a romance that must might be re-ignited after a long spell on a turned off back burner. Like any good modern thriller, WINTER COUNTS also provides plenty of bite-sized informative tidbits and sidebars on topics necessary to inform the story. With the help of Weiden’s careful research, any reader can look to come away from WINTER COUNTS with at least passing knowledge of a number of Lakota spiritual ceremonies and the disturbing lack of health care options and facilities on native land. You’ll almost certainly also experience a stomach rumbling, mouth watering hankering to seek out a taste of aboriginal cuisine
Paul Weiss
US law on reserves denies aboriginal police forces the power to prosecute felonies. And federal law mostly ignores felonies on reserve land, with the possible exception of murders and aggravated assault.
“Because of the Major Crimes Act passed by the US Congress in 1885, federal investigators generally have exclusive jurisdiction over felony crimes on reservations, yet they often decline prosecutions in these cases, even when the perpetrator has been apprehended. Although the percentages vary from year to year, federal authorities frequently refuse to prosecute murders, assaults, and sex crimes referred from tribal police departments.”
As a result, Virgil Wounded Horse has found a niche occupation as an enforcer paid to deliver punishment that the law refuses to dispense – in short, a paid thug who gets a free pass from the local aboriginal cops. His involvement with vigilante law becomes more urgent, more personal, and more meaningful when he discovers that his young nephew is facing a long prison term in adult prison for heroin trafficking. He needs to find where the drugs are coming from and he needs to shut them down ... hard, fast, once and for all!
WINTER COUNTS is an exciting, pulse-pounding crime fiction. But it’s also an honest, hard-nosed look at social difficulties facing modern aboriginal communities not to mention a pretty warm-hearted story of a romance that must might be re-ignited after a long spell on a turned off back burner. Like any good modern thriller, WINTER COUNTS also provides plenty of bite-sized informative tidbits and sidebars on topics necessary to inform the story. With the help of Weiden’s careful research, any reader can look to come away from WINTER COUNTS with at least passing knowledge of a number of Lakota spiritual ceremonies and the disturbing lack of health care options and facilities on native land. You’ll almost certainly also experience a stomach rumbling, mouth watering hankering to seek out a taste of aboriginal cuisine
Paul Weiss
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Winter Counts is an eye-opening look at life on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and the challenges the Indigenous people face.
The story is a slow burn, character driven mystery. Though the last 30% are thrilling! I enjoyed reading about Virgil Wounded Horse as he investigates the opioid crisis in his community, tries to protect his nephew, and come to terms with his culture and identity.
Although the overall story is fictionalized, Winter Counts is surprisingly informative. The author’s note is fascinating. Weiden explains what parts of the book are based on real life. He discusses private enforcers on native reservations, and how the federal government necessitates their existence by not prosecuting federal crimes.
Thank you to the folks at @bookpeople for recommending this book!
The story is a slow burn, character driven mystery. Though the last 30% are thrilling! I enjoyed reading about Virgil Wounded Horse as he investigates the opioid crisis in his community, tries to protect his nephew, and come to terms with his culture and identity.
Although the overall story is fictionalized, Winter Counts is surprisingly informative. The author’s note is fascinating. Weiden explains what parts of the book are based on real life. He discusses private enforcers on native reservations, and how the federal government necessitates their existence by not prosecuting federal crimes.
Thank you to the folks at @bookpeople for recommending this book!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated