📖 Murder on the Red River
✍️ Marcie R. Rendon
📚 Cash Blackbear Mysteries, Book 1
🎙️ Siiri Scott
🏁 Finished: 11/09/26
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I typically don’t gravitate toward hard-boiled crime dramas, but in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Month, I’m making an effort to explore some new-to-me Indigenous authors and stories. That’s how I stumbled upon Marcie R. Rendon. And THANK GOODNESS I did, because I just found myself a new mystery series to devour!
There isn’t a lot of fluff in this one. The story is dark, the characters are raw, and some of the tragedies brought literal tears to my eyes. Especially after listening to the author’s notes at the end. 💔
We’re introduced to Cash Blackbear, a morally gray heroine with a heartbreaking past, and Sheriff Wheaton, her friend and sometimes father figure. He’s definitely a “don’t mess with me” kind of guy who gets things done. He was also Cash’s savior once upon a time, after she was removed from her reservation and her mother’s care and bounced from foster home to foster home.
When a Native man is found murdered, Cash and Wheaton work parallel investigations to uncover the truth. But here’s the thing… for me, the actual murder mystery took a back seat to Cash herself. Her history, her outlook on life, her struggles, and where she might be headed next were what really kept me invested.
Siiri Scott did a fantastic job with the narration! Her performance was very different from the voices I’ve grown accustomed to in my usual audiobook rotation, but I thought her delivery fit the darker, grittier tone of the story beautifully. I actually went looking for more books narrated by her afterward! Nothing immediately caught my eye, but I’ll definitely keep looking.
While this was an easy 5-star read for me, I do think it’s a bit of a “try before you buy” situation when it comes to committing to the series. These books aren’t going to be for everyone. They’re dark, sometimes uncomfortable, and don’t shy away from difficult subject matter.
But then again, no book is for everyone, amiright? 🤷♀️
As for me? I’m absolutely coming back for more Cash Blackbear!
