Murder on the Red River

The unique protagonist is the main reason I loved this novel. Cash Blackbear is a young Objibwe woman in North Dakota with a strong sixth sense that leads her to clues. Cash gets visions that she can’t ignore. She teams with local Sheriff Wheaton, who trusts her insights even though he doesn’t understand them. Wheaton has been a father figure/mentor since she was a child left adrift in one abusive foster home after another.

I loved their sometimes awkward yet tender interactions. The author, who is Native American, expertly weaves in the rich tapestry of American indigenous culture and life.… show more.

Murder on the Red River is a historical mystery set in 1970s Fargo and western Minnesota.

The protagonist is a young Native American woman who is a grain truck driver and expert pool player. Cash grew up in a series of unhappy foster homes and is disconnected from her family. Her one constant is a sheriff who rescued her as a young child and continues to watch over her. Cash sometimes helps him solve cases.

Viet Nam is in the background. The racism, alcoholism, despair of Native Americans stuck in the reservation, and generational injustices of Native Americans keep the… show more.

We Americans are obsessed with mysteries from TV to Film to Books. And I am obsessed with the young sleuth, Cash Blackbear, the unlikely shero of Marcie R. Rendon. To date, there are three Blackbear mysteries: Murder on the Red River, Girl Gone Missing, and Sinister Graves. Blackbear did not have an enchanted childhood, but she not only survives—she thrives and solves cases with the astuteness, curiosity, and moxie of the most seasoned detective. Set in Northern Minnesota in the 1970s, the series heroine is 19, totally independent, hard-working, and somewhat of a pool hustler. Her one friend, Sherriff… show more.