Welcome to Litsy!

Cash, a young Anishinabe woman, is a complicated person with a complicated past & present. Though there is a murder mystery to solve, the story involves far more than that alone. I‘m going to continue on with the series. Rendon has set it up to really grow the characters she has introduced.

#SmallTownSetting
#BookBinge

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Marcie Rendon is of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, writes in Minneapolis and was born the same year as me. Her debut was a murder mystery introducing Cash Blackbear, a young Aanishinaabe woman who helps the local sheriff solve mysteries. Love this character!

#DebutByIndigenousAuthor

#BookBinge

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This is a #blameitonlitsy book. It sounded interesting, and my library had it. Cash Blackbear is a fantastic character, and the author paints her world and her surroundings really well. I‘ll definitely be continuing with this series. #audiowalk

Someone here was reading a later book in this series. Since the character sounded interesting, I thought I‘d check out this first book for my new walking book. #audiowalk

A murder in fly-over country brings an unlikely pair of sleuths together to investigate. The midwestern atmosphere may give you the feeling you‘ve found home amidst the wheat fields but the search for a murderer will have you gritting your teeth. Looking forward to more by this author.

So glad I have more books to look forward to in this mystery series set in 1970s Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN (tempted to dive into the second one right away). Renee “Cash” Blackbear is such a great character. More than a murder mystery, Rendon tells a bigger story about the legacy of trauma in Native American families torn apart not only by the residential/boarding school system, but later through the foster care system.

This was stellar. Cash‘s character was extremely dynamic and her relationship with Wheaton pulled at my heartstrings. The last 20 pages were so suspenseful, and the ending left room for the sequels without being disappointing on its own. I have already put a hold on the next installment at the library.

#skoden #skodenreadathon #indigenouslit

This paragraph sums up Cash‘s character so well! Don‘t get me wrong. There‘s more to Cash- but I think this describes who she is at the core before she begins to be more invested in the murder. It‘s very good writing. Even if you view it as a little bit cliched, it‘s not because it‘s lazy, but because Cash‘s experience is sadly drawing on historically common occurrences among indigenous communities.
#skoden #skodenreadathon

It took me a minute to get into this one on audio, but soon I was hooked on Cash. I have already put book 2 on hold. I think the blurb explains it well except the mystery is less important than everything else. I didn‘t mind that at all. #SkodenReadathon #SGJRendonWeiden

Friday #bookmail! Part 1 - Mysteries

With November being Native American Heritage Month, thought it would be a good time to try this Cash Blackbear series. I‘ve heard good things! And a collection of bibliomysteries? Yes, please!

I‘ve already got the next two books in this series cued up. Cash Blackbear is amazing. She is independent, stubborn, tough, empathetic, mystical, intuitive, smart, and sassy. Her “guardian” is a county sheriff who she helps to solve crime, and her instincts are spot on. I can‘t wait to see what she does next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me a few restarts to get into the groove of the narration - and I thought for a bit that I'd have to switch to print - but once that clicked, this was a compelling listen. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Renee, “Cash” Blackbear is only, 19 but has already faced a lifetime of trouble. She works driving trucks for farmers in MN/ND. Her friend, Sheriff Wheaton has been the only one to lend a helping hand since she was a child. The body of a man from the Red Lake Reservation is found in a field. With Wheaton‘s blessing, Cash investigates and follows her dreams to solve the case. ⭐️⭐️⭐️+ for a fresh take on the genre.

Just good enough to like. I like the protagonist, but the plot was a little loose in spots, and the climax wasn‘t high enough to warrant “will she, or won‘t she”? I think this is the first of her books, so we‘ll see if the author gets better. Good, not great. 😁

#JanuaryStats #ItHadToBeYou

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just finished. 3 of 5 ⭐
Included some of my favorite tags: Minnesota, Native American, mystery and series.

This simmering mystery packed a powerful punch! Lots of information and anecdotes about life as an American Indian and reservation life are wove into this novel, while building up an amazing lead character!
If you like crime fiction, and have been wanting to diversify you‘re reading, try this one!
#americanindians #ownvoices #nativeamericans #nativeamericanstory

This isn't exactly a classical mystery - the protagonist discovers the murderers through luck and some psychic flashes rather than an orderly trail of clues. But the mystery itself isn't really the interesting bit. The book is an evocative picture of northern Minnesota during the Vietnam war, and a character study of Cash Blackbear, a young Indian woman drifting through life after being traumatized by the foster system.

In those first years, each time, Cash had expected to be driven home. Back to her mom. It never happened. Cash searched each new school for her brother and sister. She didn't understand. At their mom's, they always had something to eat even if wasn't the full spread the farmers wives put out.... They all slept curled up in one big bed, kept warm by a kerosene stove in the winter months. There was always laughter. No swatting, no shaming.

I'm in rural Minnesota with Cash. There's been a murder.

Read this for my book club that me and another woman started at the library. This was her pick. It‘s suppose to be a mystery book club and this was lacking in mystery. It wasn‘t bad but wasn‘t amazing. I do think I‘d read the second one. I just hope the book club does well I want it to last so badly.
#bookclub #mystery #thrillerbookclub #mysterybookclub #library #librarybookclub #mpls #minneapolis #marcierendon #murderontheredriver #nativeamerican

Murder mystery set in the 1970s in rural
Minnesota/North Dakota.
I loved getting to know Cash, a 19yo Native woman - she‘s gritty and tough and figuring out her purpose.
I can‘t wait to read Girl, Gone Missing!

These were my #februaryfavs
-Murder on the Red River (Rendon)
-An Easy Death (Harris)
-Long Upon the Land (Maron)
-Richard III (performance)
Also this month
-The Beast (Kellerman)
-Knots and Crosses (Rankin)
-Lincoln‘s Bodyguard (DNF)
#literarylove

Tagged book takes place on both sides of the Red River dividing Minnesota & North Dakota, but the MC lives in ND so that‘s where I‘ll put it. Interesting mystery by an #indigenous author. There‘s a lot of content about the appalling history of separating Native American children from their parents and placing them with white families.

Ordinary Grace is a compelling mystery & family saga set at the other end of Minnesota.

#Booked2019 #50states

I LOVE when I'm minding my own business, read or hear about an amazing book and think 🤔 that sounds familiar, and it turns out I actually bought that book 2 years ago and it's sitting on my shelf and I can start reading it RIGHT AWAY!!! Maybe that is actually embarrassing...

The story of Cash, a young woman, and survivor of historical/generational trauma with a bit of a murder mystery thrown in the mix.

I hope to see more of Cash‘s story.

Although I wished there was less minutiae in the prose, I really liked the character of Cash. She is a 19 y.o. farmhand, who like the author, is a member of the White Earth Anishinabe Nation. She shares a special bond with the local sheriff, and helps him solve the crime. I loved the details of the setting between North Dakota and Minnesota in 1970. I'd definitely like to see more Cash and Sheriff Wheaton mysteries.

I really enjoyed this book and hope that Marcie R Rendon will write more books with Cash and Sheriff Wheaton. Cash is a 19 year old Indian girl who has had to grow up fast. Sheriff Wheaton has always kept an eye on her and knows of the special gift she has. When an Indian man is found dead Cash's gift leads her in the direction to find his killers.