Native American author Louise Erdrich draws upon her heritage in
The Round House. Set on a North Dakota reservation, the boundaries and buildings of the tribal grounds provide the essential framework for this novel of a Chippewa teen investigating a brutal attack on his mother. Well-defined characters are rounded out with descriptions of Indian customs and traditions and the story unfolds at a deliberate pace as Joe and his buddies zero in on the culprit.
Vanessa Michael Monroe stars in a tautly written and fast-paced series written by Taylor Stevens. In
The Doll, Information Specialist Monroe takes on a creepy human trafficker in this grim tale dealing with a dark underworld organization with an international reach. A clipped writing style and rapidly alternating perspectives contribute to the urgent feel of this crime thriller.
Native American author Louise Erdrich draws upon her heritage in The Round House. Set on a North Dakota reservation, the boundaries and buildings of the tribal grounds provide the essential framework for this novel of a Chippewa teen investigating a brutal attack on his mother. Well-defined characters are rounded out with descriptions of Indian customs and traditions and the story unfolds at a deliberate pace as Joe and his buddies zero in on the culprit. 
Vanessa Michael Monroe stars in a tautly written and fast-paced series written by Taylor Stevens. In The Doll, Information Specialist Monroe takes on a creepy human trafficker in this grim tale dealing with a dark underworld organization with an international reach. A clipped writing style and rapidly alternating perspectives contribute to the urgent feel of this crime thriller. 
If you liked "The Round House" by Louise Eldrich, you may also like "Raven Stole the Moon" by Garth Stein. It's another story with elements of Native American culture mixed with a mystery, this time featuring a mother returning to the site of her son's drowning to discover what really happened and come to terms with it.
ReplyDeleteFor a read-alike title to compliment "The Doll" by Taylor Stevens, I would recommend "Rage Against the Dying" by Becky Masterman. It's a bit of a creepy, edge-of-your-seat thriller and features a female investigator. You've probably heard of already, since it was featured on Between the Covers!
Thanks, Olivia, both of those books sound great and both had slipped past my radar. I've put them on reserve!
DeleteGood start to your blogging assignments, Lori. Your annotations were very well done.
ReplyDeleteKeep going - the coming weeks are even better!
Thanks Andrea! I appreciate the encouragement. :)
DeleteHey Lori. I don't know if you've read "Snow Falling" on Cedars by David Guterson but your reviews make me think that you might like it. It's several years old already but is also a beautifully intelligent murder mystery that weaves around themes of minority cultures in America and societal isolation. It takes place in the northwest and deals with a murder against the backdrop of the interment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Coincidentally, like the persecution of American indian tribes, this piece of history doesn't get as much illumination as it probably deserves. The book has also been made into a movie and was on the stage at CenterStage in Baltimore just a year or two ago.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I have read Snow Falling on Cedars, and loved it. Another choice which has to do with a murder and interment camps in the pacific northwest is Tall Grass by Sandra Dallas. It, too, has been out for several years.
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ReplyDeleteHi Lori. It's me, Brenda, with some suggested readings:
ReplyDeleteBecause you liked The Round House, I think you would enjoy Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai. It is the first installment of the Simran Singh series and is set in the heart of Punjab India, where a young girl is found severely beaten, and almost dead in a house fire which has claimed the lives of thirteen other dwellers. When the local police try to accuse the girl of the murders, a compassionate, yet unconventional social worker, Simran Singh steps up to uncover the truth and faces terrifying, life changing consequences. I think this is a good choice for a strong crime mystery in a foreign land, in this case modern India. Another title I think you might like is You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz about a man who will risk everything to protect his family. The heightened intensity of this novel is due to it's fast pace, set over the course of three days and the snappy dialogue which advances the action. Happy reading!
Thanks Brenda! Witness the Night sounds especially appealing to me. I am off to see if we have it here at Randallstown...
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