The Peacekeeper

A Novel (The Good Lands)

By: B.L. Blanchard

Narrated by: Darrell Dennis

Sidewise Award Winner for Best Long Form.

Against the backdrop of a never-colonized North America, a broken Ojibwe detective embarks on an emotional and twisting journey toward solving two murders, rediscovering family, and finding himself.

North America was never colonized. The United States and Canada don’t exist. The Great Lakes are surrounded by an independent Ojibwe nation. And in the village of Baawitigong, a Peacekeeper confronts his devastating past.

Twenty years ago to the day, Chibenashi’s mother was murdered and his father confessed. Ever since, caring for his still-traumatized younger sister has been Chibenashi’s privilege and penance. Now, on the same night of the Manoomin harvest, another woman is slain. His mother’s best friend. This leads to a seemingly impossible connection that takes Chibenashi far from the only world he’s ever known.

The major city of Shikaakwa is home to the victim’s cruelly estranged family—and to two people Chibenashi never wanted to see again: his imprisoned father and the lover who broke his heart. As the questions mount, the answers will change his and his sister’s lives forever. Because Chibenashi is about to discover that everything about their lives has been a lie.

A Michigan Notable Books selection.

©2022 Brooke Blanchard Tabshouri (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Superbly crafted and deftly narrated… dramatically performed by Darrell Dennis who brings to life author B. L. Blanchard's alternate history based Native American drama. All the more impressive when considering that this is Blanchard's debut as a novelist, The Peacekeeper offers the listener an extraordinary theatre of the mind adventure.”—Midwest Book Review

“An excellent example of an imagined alternative North America where restorative justice is at the forefront, and with characters who are well-developed, this is a great debut from an author to watch.”—Shondaland

Listened this for english!

Best story but the narattor is a bit slow having to pace him at 1.2 haha but the story is so gutt wrentching the first story im actually interested in that was assigned i would read this on my free time 100%

worthwhile premise, mediocre execution

The speculative fiction about what a modern nation state would be like in the Great Lakes region without European colonization is fascinating and thoughtful. The narrator clearly spent time practicing the pronunciation of non-English words because they flow smoothly in the storytelling.

Setting up the modern Native American society as the context for a mystery novel allows an interesting view of restorative justice. Unfortunately, the actual mystery is obvious to the reader for most of the book and it was frustrating how long it took for the characters to figure it out.

Much of the novel is structured as a journey, both externally in the plot and internally in the main character. The story is not very strong; hardly anything happens. Yes, there are events and plot points, but almost the entire book is dialog or internal to the mind of the characters. I was not looking for an "action thriller" at all, far from it, but as I listened and visualized the story, it was almost always just people talking or thinking. No sections or descriptions of people doing things that would engage the reader a lot more. I never felt like I was experiencing the story through the speaker.

Wonderful setting, ok mystery

This book is all about the setting. What would 2020 look like in a continent that had never been colonized? How would indigenous culture have evolved? These are great questions with lots of room for stories. This one is: how does one resolve an unsolved murder in a society with no cops and a restorative justice system?

While the speculative side of this book is excellent, the mystery that drives it is a little lackluster. I had IDed the culprit long before the reveal, but the reveal of their motive seemed out of left field to me. I don’t read a lot of mysteries, so maybe that’s par for the course.

That said, I want to read more stories in this world. What’s industry like? How does international diplomacy work? What have the last few centuries been like?

I recommend it if you like speculative fiction, more than mystery.

Visual feast!

Loved the descriptions of the city scapes, and the rural communities. So engrossing to follow the detective but want him to do more!

Interesting Story, Poor Narrator

I ended up being drawn in to the story. But the narrator was so blah.

Excellent world building

A beautifully written story with a protagonist that has remained emotionally stunted by his mother's death at the hands of his father. He has remained in his childhood home acting as the sole caregiver of his traumatized younger sister. But when twenty years later his mother's best friend is also murdered in an extremely similar way, he is one of the peacekeepers investigating . There are many twists and turns throughout the story. I loved the characters and how they really tell the story.

Terrific alternate timeline and great voice over

I really enjoyed imagining this alternate timeline, in which the ways of the natives of the land that has become known as the Americas, is enhanced and visited in this story. I also appreciate the idea of making the victim whole over a judicial system that is punitive and seeks vengeance over reconciliation.

amazing

The peacekeepers
B.L. Blanchard
What an amazing story? It shows so much of the nature of Ojibwe culture, healing and ideas. An eye opening view of native beliefs. What an convoluted crime, and psychological problems that have been seen. The idea of creation, destruction and recreation.

Painfully Slow

Slow paced mystery that I had figured out early on, I kept listening hoping for a twist or for the narrative pacing to pick up, and neither thing happened.

repetitive as if listener is a 5 year old

found it repetitive and slow. not moving. bedtime calmness throughout. never-ending reexplaining . on and on droning voice