Where They Last Saw Her

A Novel

By: Marcie R. Rendon

Narrated by: Erin Tripp, Marcie R. Rendon

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the award-winning author of the Cash Blackbear series comes a compelling novel of a Native American woman who learns of the disappearance of one of her own and decides enough is enough.

All they heard was her scream.

Quill has lived on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota her whole life. She knows what happens to women who look like her. Just a girl when Jimmy Sky jumped off the railway bridge and she ran for help, Quill realizes now that she’s never stopped running. As she trains for the Boston Marathon early one morning in the woods, she hears a scream. When she returns to search the area, all she finds are tire tracks and a single beaded earring.

Things are different now for Quill than when she was a lonely girl. Her friends Punk and Gaylyn are two women who don’t know what it means to quit; her loving husband, Crow, and their two beautiful children challenge her to be better every day. So when she hears a second woman has been stolen, she is determined to do something about it—starting with investigating the group of men working the pipeline construction just north of their homes.

As Quill closes in on the truth about the missing women, someone else disappears. In her quest to find justice for all of the women of the reservation, she is confronted with the hard truths of their home and the people who purport to serve them. When will she stop losing neighbors, friends, family? As Quill puts everything on the line to make a difference, the novel asks searing questions about bystander culture, the reverberations of even one act of crime, and the long-lasting trauma of being considered invisible.

©2024 Marcie R. Rendon (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Mystery writer Rendon, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, creates a compelling, take-charge heroine who is based on the women raising awareness about disproportionately high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous people.”—The Washington Post

“Rendon’s book will break your heart, but it will also inspire and inform.”—Kirkus Review, starred review

“Rendon masterfully navigates the histories of trauma and brutality that continue to exist within our Native communities, laying bare the truths of colonial violence and the continuing need for closure and justice in our homelands.”—Ramona Emerson, author of Shutter

Empowering

Very emotional story but very empowering as well. I don’t really like mysteries but I liked this one.

An important story with lackluster characters

While I found this to be an emotional and inspiring read, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. The main character’s lack of growth was particularly disappointing, as she continued her pattern of reckless behavior. I understand the author’s point that the police are unreliable, but this wasn’t very well illustrated in the book. Characters would express frustration with the cops and take matters into their own hands, but the main cop character seemed well intentioned and reliable throughout the story. It was incredibly frustrating to see the main character engage in unnecessary vigilantism without good reason to distrust her cop friend. Apart from enjoying running, the main characters were very uninteresting. It felt as though they weren’t really explored beyond their existence on the reservation and their one passion. Dialogue was often written as though characters were reading from a textbook on MMIW and native culture. I felt that I was being told about life on a reservation through unnatural conversation, instead of being shown through narrative. I really wanted to enjoy this book as someone who is learning about MMIW, but I honestly would not recommend it to my friends.

Don’t miss!

Gripping, moving story telling and a meaningful message carried by solid, compelling characters. I loved it.

The story of missing native women needs to be told, and Ms Rendon does it well.

A man doesn’t solve this mystery, but rather native women. They are logical and smart, just the way a woman should be. The pain and sadness of losing yet another native woman is so often overlooked and forgotten. That is not how Ms. Rendon sees it. She reminds us that this is still a very real issue today.

Must read indigenous thriller

I love a good thriller
I love indigenous literature
This book speaks on an incredibly important issue that is tearing indigenous communities apart.
And this story is far more than a hard thriller about tragedy or trauma. It brings community, culture and genuine joy into a world that fights through hard things as matter of course.
More people need to read this book.

Poignant Story…Worth the Wait!

I have read all of Marcie R Reardon’s books and was anxiously awaiting the release of this newest audiobook. I am intrigued by Native culture, in fact I live in the mountains of northeastern Arizona on the New Mexico border where we are in the vicinity of 4 Native American Reservations. My favorite literary genre is mystery and Ms. Reardon has fast become one of my favorite writers in this category. Her novels are relevant, her characters are realistic, and her storylines are engaging.

This latest novel does not disappoint! It is brilliantly written with an exciting storyline and unexpected twists and turns. Thank you again Ms. Reardon! Please don’t make us wait too long for your next book.

Heartbreaking and Courageous

Full disclosure: Marcie and I are in a writing group together. “Where They Last Saw Her” is a heartbreakingly beautiful piece of writing. What we, the immigrant group that invaded this country, have done to native women since our arrival until today is a disgrace. Further, what men in general have done to women over the millennia is unforgivable. What Marcie has done in this book is show the reader the reality of life for too many native women and girls. The book is neither a political treatise nor a cultural rant; rather, Marcie has written a wonderful piece of fiction that allows the reader to feel the reality that native women have had and continue to bear. Read this book and thank me later. Last words: Marcie does not know that I’m writing this review and I truly believe that my knowing her has in no way influenced what I wrote. I’m not that nice a person.

excellent story

This is a wonderful story. Bringing awareness to the trauma of native families. Missing and murdered native women make up a staggering percentage of the missing women and children. This story makes a women the hero.

Great characters!

I loved this book. Flew through it and didn’t want it to end. Marcie Rendon is such a wonderful author. I love the incorporation of the Ojibwe language and the relationships between the characters.

Hard to tear myself away

I love this author’s Cash books and have been waiting a while for more stories. This one is set in the present day rather than the 1970s.

The rights and safely of women transcend cultures and this book emphasizes that First Nations women are vulnerable for many reasons. I love the glimpses of traditional culture in amongst cell phones and technology. Her description of Northern woods in winter is spot on. I felt I was there at times. The story is gripping and I binge listened with little time for sleep. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Quill’s quest for justice for an unknown woman, i found myself annoyed with her for failing to think ahead and curb her impulses. Her lack of trust is both her Achilles heel and her saving grace.