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Winter Counts:  An addictive and groundbreaking debut thriller set on a Native American reservation. 

-Named one of “The Best 110 Thriller, Crime and Suspense Novels of All Time” by Parade magazine.

-Named a Best Book of 2021 in the United Kingdom by Financial Times, The Guardian, Daily Express, The Mirror, and Daily Record

-Named a Best Book of 2021 in New Zealand by New Zealand Listener

-Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel

-Winner of the Thriller Award for Best First Novel

-Winner of the Barry Award for Best First Novel

-Winner of the Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel

-Winner of the Macavity Award for Best First Novel

-Winner of the Spur Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Best First Novel

-Winner of the High Plains Book Award, Best Indigenous Book

-Winner of the Electa Quinney Award for Native American Literature

-Winner of the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing

-Winner of the CrimeFest (UK) Award for Best Debut Crime Novel

-Winner of the Crime Fiction Lover Award (UK), Editor’s Choice for Best Debut Novel

-Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel

-Nominated for the Dashiell Hammett Prize for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing

–New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

-Best Books of the Year:  Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, NPR, Amazon, Sun Sentinel, BOLO Books, Deadly Pleasures, CrimeReads, LitReactor, The Buzz, SheReads, Tribal College Journal, Air Mail, MysteryPeople, Goodreads, Financial Times, The Guardian (UK), Daily Express (UK), The Mirror (UK), Daily Record (UK)

-Nominated for the Shamus Award for Best First Novel

-Longlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novel Award

-Nominated for the Reading the West Award for Best Debut Fiction

-Shortlisted for the Colorado Book Award

-Named an Amazon Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Book of 2020 and Best Book of the Year

-Book of the Month Club main selection

-Indie Next Great Reads 2020 selection and 2021 paperback selection 

-Best Noir Fiction of the Year by CrimeReads

-Best Debut Novels of the Year by CrimeReads

-CrimeReads Notable Selection for Best Crime Novels of 2020

-Best Books of August/Best Audiobooks of August by Apple Books

–Los Angeles Times Holiday Gift Pick for 2020

-Semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller and Best Debut Novel, Goodreads Choice Awards

–Nominated for Book of the Year by Book of the Month Club

-BuzzFeed Book Club November selection

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil’s own nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and make them stop.

They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances.  And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the 21st century comes at an incredible cost.

Winter Counts is a tour-de-force of crime fiction, a bracingly honest look at a long-ignored part of American life, and a twisting, turning story that’s as deeply rendered as it is thrilling.

Reviews

“Weiden combines funny, complex, and unforgettable characters with strong, poetic prose. . . This is crime fiction at its best.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

“Winter Counts is a once-in-a-generation thriller, an unforgettable debut set in and around South Dakota’s Rosebud Indian Reservation that brims with complex characters, believable conflicts and an urgent message about Native culture, inequities and criminal justice. . . . Propulsive.”
–Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times

“Winter Counts is a compelling read and an insightful perspective on identity and power in America.”
–Emily Gray Tedrowe, USA Today

“The betrayal of Native Americans and the issue of native identity are the backbone of this passionately told tale that hits the sweet spot between crime fiction and social novel. . . History, betrayal and heartbreak are out front in this novel, but it’s also an action-packed tale bursting with criminals, pursuits, fights and standoffs. It’s sure to please the most seasoned thriller fans.”
–Carol Memmott, Washington Post

“Winter Counts is a riveting yet soulful reimagining of hard-boiled crime fiction for an era in which systemic rot seems to be routinely uncovered.”
–Anita Felicelli, San Francisco Chronicle

A “sizzling new thriller.”  “[W]ritten with a light touch and a good deal of humor . . . and sobering truths about Native American life.”
–Sarah Lyall, New York Times Book Review

“A tale of drugs and violence on the Rosebud Reservation is also a celebration of reviving Lakota traditions. . . A knowing, revealing look at life on a reservation. . . The spirit, joy, pride and resilience of Native people also comes through these pages:  respect for elders, the hunger for education and meaningful work, a growing interest in Lakota language, customs and traditions.”
–Chuck Haga, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“‘Winter Counts’ is elevated by Weiden’s forceful writing, affinity for complex, realistic characters and attention to cultural touchstones. . . . [O]ne of the year’s strongest debuts.”
–Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel

“The characters are warm and the storyline top-notch. An added bonus (and it’s a big one) is gaining an exposure to the Lakota way of life with its traditional values and reservation hardships.  Rating:  A-.”
–George Easter, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

“Winter Counts is one of this year’s most significant crime-fiction debuts.  . . Winter Counts takes on a plainspoken lyricism that serves as a tender counterpoint to the low-level misery he’s trying to transcend.”
–Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail

“[A]n instantly-iconic crime fiction protagonist. . . incandescent prose. . . Winter Counts is one of the best debut novels of 2020 and launches a career that is sure to alter the course of the genre.”
–Kristopher Zgorski, BOLO Books

“The story, rich in Lakota lore and traditions, is leavened by wry observations and humor, not least in the person of Virgil’s friend, Tommy, a loyal but aimless fellow. His good cheer is rendered with perfect timing by narrator Darrell Dennis, who has Indigenous roots himself and is, as it happens, a comedian. He delivers the entire narration wonderfully, but his Tommy takes the gold.”
–Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post

“Winter Counts is a book that demands to be read not just because it’s engaging, but because it matters. The result is a novel that will satisfy those looking for the adrenaline of crime fiction and thrillers, .  . .  and those who want to enjoy all that with a deeper layer of meaning, a more nuanced narrative. . .”
–Gabino Iglesias, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

“Thought-provoking and suspenseful, uplifting and heartbreaking, moving and brutal, Winter Counts is a thriller that delivers so much more than the word thriller promises.”
–Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Book Review (Best Books of August 2020)

“We were instant fans of the tough but scrupulously ethical Virgil, who is well aware that he’s neither a good guy nor a bad guy. Weiden paints a vivid portrait of contemporary Lakota life, with all the pride and struggle that come with it. This striking background color makes Winter Counts and its slam-bang conclusion hit even harder.”
–Apple Books Review (Best Books of August 2020)

“[A] revelatory debut crime novel propelled by vital and affecting Native American characters facing the endless repercussions of the genocidal past, ongoing racism and injustice, and cruel betrayals within their besieged community. Suspenseful, gritty, gruffly endearing, and resonant . . . ”
–Booklist

“In his assured debut novel, David Heska Wanbli Weiden melds the gritty realism of Dashiell Hammett with the lyricism of Tommy Orange.”
–O, the Oprah Magazine

“Weiden’s series launch sheds much-needed light on the legal and societal barriers facing Native Americans while also delivering a suspenseful thriller that builds to a bloody climax. A worthy addition to the burgeoning canon of indigenous literature.”
–Library Journal

“Weiden’s book is a thriller with an important social and political message.”
–Ashley Baeckman, Indie Next List, American Booksellers Association

“Tightly paced, compelling, realistic and deeply felt, Winter Counts offers a fresh take on the crime thriller.”
–Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness

“David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s Winter Counts is the best kind of thriller, one that balances intense pacing with fully-fleshed characters that are so well-drawn they jump off the page. The novel’s deep dive into Native American culture and the themes of identity and justice ensure it’ll stay with you long after you read the last page.”
–Jess Lourey, CrimeReads

“A great mystery with excellent characters–everything you want in a crime novel!”
–Book Riot Unusual Suspects

“Winter Counts is one of 2020’s most exciting debut novels . . .  This is urgent, hard-hitting crime fiction that will keep you reading.”
–Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads

“A marvel.  A thriller with a beating heart and jagged teeth. . . I couldn’t put it down.”
—Tommy Orange, author of There There

“Winter Counts is both a propulsive crime novel and a wonderfully informative book. David Heska Wanbli Weiden has written the first of what I hope is a series of books about life on Rosebud Reservation. Virgil Wounded Horse, his nephew Nathan, and Marie Short Bear are more than characters; they brim with intrigue and authentic life.”
—Louise Erdrich, winner of the National Book Award for fiction and author of The Night Watchman 

“I’ve been waiting most of my life for this book without realizing it. Winter Counts is a knowing, authentic, closely observed novel about modern-day Lakotas that rings absolutely true, warts and all. The sense of place is breathtaking and raw. It’s a hell of a debut.”
—C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Range

“Winter Counts is a terrific debut—tight and tense, hard-eyed and big-hearted. David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s main character, Virgil Wounded Horse, is as compelling, complex, and sharply observed as the world he inhabits.”
—Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone

“One part gritty procedural, one part hard-edged literature, Winter Counts is more than a novel—it’s a testament in napalm you won’t be able to put down because it burns and holds fast.”
—Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries​

“A stone-cold thriller with a soul and a politics—compelling and complex. A gripping crime story perfectly married to bigger questions about race and place and American violence.”
— David Treuer, author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

​“Winter Counts drops the hammer on page one and never lets up, until you’re not sure if that’s the drums in the story or your heart in your chest pounding.”
 — Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians and Mongrels

“A gripping, richly textured thriller and an urgent dispatch from Indian Country. Crimes are solved, violence happens, and Virgil Wounded Horse, a hard-fisted, big-hearted, irresistible Lakota enforcer, guides us through the complicated realities of contemporary Native life on and off the reservation. Weiden writes with impressive authority and insight in this entirely original, enlightening, cliché-destroying novel.”
—James A. McLaughlin, author of the Edgar Award-winning Bearskin

“With this unique debut, David Heska Wanbli Weiden announces himself as a formidable new voice in crime fiction. The images haunt, the action crackles, and Virgil Wounded Horse makes a lasting impression as he knuckles his way through a heroin ring that threatens life as he knows it on his South Dakota reservation. Winter Counts is a heartfelt page-turner with compelling characters, keen cultural insight, and a climax unlike any I’ve read before.”
—Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay

“Winter Counts marks the rise of a powerful new Native American voice in fiction. With brilliant and precise prose, Weiden has created a deeply moving, heartfelt crime novel through Virgil Wounded Horse and his experiences of Native life. An astonishing debut novel.”
 — Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of Where the Dead Sit Talking