Imagine if Native Americans were not decimated by conquering invaders, but actually thrived. It’s now 1922, and Native American Detective Joe Burrow and his white partner, Phin Drummond, are called to a grisly crime scene. In the racially diverse but also racially charged city of Cahokia. A white male has been murdered in an ancient Aztec ritual slaying that amps up the racial tensions. What begins as a murder inquiry, quickly expands as politics come into play. Pressure is applied by rival factions and Joe doesn’t know who to trust—he even starts to question his own partner. Relying on his own wits and resources, Joe must find out who and why someone wanted the man killed, all before the city erupts into violence.
This is a brilliantly written and imaginatively crafted story about what could have been. It is a multilayered crime noir novel that, while sometimes gets bogged down in Joe’s navel gazing, redeems itself by delivering a memorable story I won’t soon forget.
4.5/5 stars.
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