Mask of the Deer Woman

De: Laurie L. Dove

Narrado por: Isabella Star Lablanc

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself.

At rock bottom following her daughter’s death, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr’s father never talked much about the reservation where he was raised, but the tribe needs a new marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home.

In the past decade, too many young women have disappeared from the rez. Some have ended up dead, others just…gone. Now local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing, and Starr falls into an investigation that leaves her drowning in memories of her daughter—the girl she failed to save.

Starr feels lost in this place she thought would welcome her. And when she catches a glimpse of a figure from her father’s stories, with the body of a woman and the antlers of a deer, Starr can’t shake the feeling that the fearsome spirit is watching her, following her.

What she doesn’t know is whether Deer Woman is here to guide her or to seek vengeance for the lost daughters that Starr can never bring home.

©2025 Laurie L. Dove (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Dove, a reporter and creative writing professor in Kansas, sensitively tackles the systemic crisis that has ripped apart so many Native American communities.” —The New York Times

“Dove skillfully blends suspense with cultural depth, highlighting urgent social issues while delivering a gripping mystery. The vivid depiction of life on the reservation, combined with stark realities and eerie folklore, creates a captivating, layered narrative. With twists, complex characters and emotional weight, Mask of the Deer Woman is a powerful read for fans of dark, riveting reads and those seeking stories rooted in justice and resilience.”—The Seattle Times

"Mask of the Deer Woman is an astonishingly effective thriller, filled with complex characters, urgent suspense, a vivid sense of the land, and genuine mystery."—BookTrib

Genuine

Well read, well written, interesting story and very close to the truth of indigenous women. Good listening length and chapter structure.

She ran away and began to find her place

It’s hard to pick just the right words to summarize this experience. The story was so good — it kept things moving and had enough character development of a handful of characters, that it was a surprise at the end.

The concept of finding where we belong is something a lot of people can relate to, but this tale of a woman with an indigenous heritage she is aware of but did not live, told by a woman with a similar background, was very powerful. Starr is flawed but we walk alongside her as she tries to get to know the locals on the reservation she’s contracted to serve as Marshall. The story invites us to understand the parental pain of more than one character.

This is a beautifully written story, rich and descriptive in both setting the scene and the emotion of the tale. The narration is well done, and I was hanging on every word.

underdeveloped characters and relationships

2.75 stars rounded up to 3 stars for Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie Dove. I am a huge fan of Indigenous fiction and read a lot of it. So, I might be a bit more harsh in this review than others, and acknowledge this is just my opinion. Unfortunately, I just didn't love this book. The main character, Carrie Starr, is half Native American and half white (presumably.) She arrives at the Res to start over after leaving her old job with Chicago PD and a tragedy involving her daughter behind. Immediately she is given the case of finding a missing Indigenous woman, Chenoa, who was a college student who disappeared while hunting for an endangered beetle in the desert. My biggest complaint with this book was the character of Starr would tell you one thing and then do something completely opposite. For most of the book she was telling the mother of the missing girl that she probably just ran off. At the end she has this huge epiphany that finding Chenoa is the only way to her own emotional salvation. The author may have been trying to convey some internal conflict here but it came off more as being unsure how to really write this character with authenticity. And add to that, I found the main character completely unlikable for no appreciable reason. Now, I don't have to like the main character in a book, but I have to care in some way about her/him. I truly never felt a connection to Starr. The tragedy of what happened with her daughter is hastily alluded to and never fully fleshed out until the end and her estranged relationship with her dad is also never developed with anything more than a sentence here and there. I also found the writing to be immature and there was a lot of repetitive scenes and statements that bugged me. I didn't need the main character to be fishing for a joint in her pocket every single time we encountered her to get that she was in emotional pain and self medicating. After awhile the constant drinking and pot smoking was just silly. I also really get put off when the ending is given to you in a 3 page monologue by the bad guy- "This is how I did this. Then I did this. I started by doing this..." literally the best example of show don't tell I have ever found. I don't know if this was the author's first publication but it felt like one. It needed some editing, in my humble opinion. I do think the bones of the story were good and the author's note at the end was honestly very moving. So, I would give Dove another chance.

Disadvantage of indigenous people

Too much repetition, not allowing story to move along faster, foul language definitely not necessary.

Intriguing story, great setting

I really enjoyed this book. the rez setting was beautifully realised, Deer Woman was a great character in her own right, like background radiation permeating everything. I empathised with Starr's character and with Junior. The bad guys were a little undercooked and uninteresting, and therefore not compelling. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book very much and would be interested in following up on sequels. The issue of retributive violence is really interesting and I wanna see what Starr does next.

Finally a meaningful read

Character was wonderful and the larger cast real. The context of missing and murdered native women was meaningful and in story and real life, tragic and catastrophic.

Incredible and moving story

This was a fantastically written novel by an extremely talented author. It is obvious that the themes woven through these chapters are deeply personal to the writer. The voice and writing style are unique and enjoyable. Finally, the performance by the narrator made the story come alive in the best of ways!