Murder on the Red River

The Cash Blackbear Mysteries, Book 1

By: Marcie R. Rendon

Narrated by: Siiri Scott

A murdered man in a field. The sheriff needs Cash - a 20-something tough, smart Indian woman with special seeing powers.

Cash and Sheriff Wheaton make for a strange partnership. He pulled her from her mother's wrecked car when she was 3. He's kept an eye out for her ever since. It's a tough place to live - northern Minnesota along the Red River. Cash navigated through foster homes, and at 13 was working farms. She's tough as nails, 5 feet, 2 inches, blue jeans, blue jean jacket, smokes Marlboros, drinks Bud Longnecks. Makes her living driving truck. Playing pool on the side.

Wheaton is big lawman type. Maybe Scandinavian stock, but darker skin than most. He wants her to take hold of her life. Get into junior college. So there they are, staring at the dead Indian lying in the field. Soon Cash was dreaming the dead man's cheap house on the Red Lake Reservation, mother and kids waiting. She has that kind of power. That's the place to start looking. There's a long and dangerous way to go to find the men who killed him. Plus there's Jim, the married white guy. And Long Braids, the Indian guy headed for Minneapolis to join the American Indian Movement.

©2017 Marcie R. Rendon (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Loved it.

Great story, well told, enjoyed the performance. Will read more by this author. Looking forward the next in the series.

Excellent

Beautifully narrated, and a wonderful character.

Cash is young, resilient, smart, intuitive, and tough. She reminds me of a young Kate Shugak, for those who have also read Dana Stabenow’s series. But the setting, and the rest of the characters are markedly different.

Possible Spoilers below

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The mystery itself was interesting. I didn’t like the conclusion to it - probably because it was far too realistic. I don’t mean that it was overly graphic. It was heartbreaking and senseless.

If you know much about the history of colonization of the US, you’ll realize that though this is a work of fiction, the events depicted here are all too common.

There’s no preaching here, no long political diatribes. Just the senseless violence of the persistent bigotry against Native people, as well as the ancestral and personal traumas that Cash lives with. Bigotry and trauma form the setting in which these characters move, every bit as much as the shape of the land.

I appreciate the way the author highlights the resilience of Cash, and other Native people - especially children - throughout this novel.

It was too short, but I liked it!

I have always enjoyed paranormal stories, and this one had just a touch, so it was good. Sometimes the author can overdo the paranormal element and it just gets hokey. This one was subtle and not overplayed. It fit in well with the theme of the book and made it more enjoyable. The writing was good, and the narration was, too. The characters were well developed, which made me care about what happened to them. Good Job!

Great story, weird narration.

I’m really digging the story so far in spite of the narrator sounding like a 12 year old boy scout trying way too hard to impress his friends around the campfire. The breathy intensity she uses throughout the entire narration is inexplicable. The most mundane details are whispered like she’s telling a deep dark secret. It caused me to miss things that actually were intriguing because she used the same overly dramatic tone the whole time. She did dialogue well but everything in between was almost embarrassing to listen to. She also sounds a bit like she has something tucked between her cheek and gum. It gave the whole performance a very distracting quality.

Breathy Narrator & Misleading Title

The title of this book should be “The Story of Cash” instead. 90% of the book is about developing the character of Cash and 10% might have been devoted to the Murder on Red River. I was not able to make emotional connections to the character to either sympathize with her past, have concerns for her safety or interest in her future, or appreciate her personality, quirks, or habits. The murder on Red River was a storyline that lacked depth, was easily wrapped up, lacked mystery, and was disconnected to the rest of the novel.

Narrators of audio books are a huge draw to me, and I found this one to be overly breathy, with misplaced fluctuations of soft tones to loud ones. I’m sure it was for dramatic effect (maybe), but I did not feel that it was used effectively for the text.

There is not enough emotional substance in this novel about the character to draw me to her to want to read more; I will probably pass on the next books in the series.

If you are looking for a good mystery, pass on this book.

Heart rendering Tale Simular to True Life!

First let me state I am from the Pine Ridge Reservation and taken from my family in the 1950s. This Story (though fictional) is a window into a lot of Stolden Native children's lives.
The MCs ups and downs, trying to keep a even keel in her life had me remembering what I went through. This is a good story for people completely unaware can read to get a closer view of these things. Narrator does a Great job with the characters and entire storyline.

Stellar- Loved it

I find myself using words I don’t use to rate this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but I don’t usually write reviews. The fact that I am taking the time to right one is high praise.
I love the character. It takes a lot for me to use my credits on works of fiction but I will now purchase Sinister Graves even though I already have the physical copy of the book.
I love that there is also education at the end. Native people in the US have endured so many atrocities. The vast majority of Americans don’t know even a fraction of that pain. Many see the reservations ( if they see them at all) and also the tent cities and simply judge the alcoholism, drug abuse and poverty without acknowledging the dysfunction that has been forced unto so many of these lives. Thank you Marcie

Enjoyable read, but less focus on thriller/mystery

It’s nice to read a book written from the point of view of an underrepresented demographic. The setting, characters, and social/political climate all seemed to be historically accurate to the time period of the book, though of course the focus was mainly on one culture and area.

The murder mystery seemed rushed, concluding quickly at the end of the story and with somewhat vague details. I’d say that the murder investigation aspect of the book is somewhat secondary to the “slice of life” depiction of cash’s experience as a native woman at that time, with a focus on the foster care system that was very harmful to the native community.

I wish the plot had been a bit deeper

The storyline was a bit thin, but it was an OK book. I like the character Cash, and hope the next in the series is a little meatier.

Great storyline

Being from the area helped as I can picture the area that is takes place, but still great storyline! Sometimes just the reader can make me stop listening, but Siiri Scott’s voice keeps you tuned in!