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Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated, threats are coming from the Pine Ridge 705—a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud—and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.

With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, whose writing “melds the gritty realism of Dashiell Hammett with the lyricism of Tommy Orange” (O, The Oprah Magazine), once again brings us a tour de force of crime fiction—and an expansive look at Native American life in a shifting world.

Reviews

“This is also a rich picture of Native American identity today. . . This is immensely vivid stuff, with much of the pungency of such writers as Cormac McCarthy.” – Financial Times

“Dynamic, thoughtful and moving, it’s another standout in an important series.” – L.A. Times

“A throwback to hard-boiled thrillers of the mid-20th century. . . . Wisdom Corner moves like crazy. . . . where the novel excels is in Weiden’s sure depiction of reservation life and tribal politics.” –  Minnesota Star Tribune 

“Weiden’s writing is rich with cultural detail from food to ceremonies to reservation slang. His style is terse but immersive, and readers will find themselves absorbed in wandering the Great Plains and meting out justice with Virgil.” – BookPage (starred review)

“A compelling crime drama . . . [at] the highest echelon of crime fiction. . . Wanbli Weiden’s novels are illuminating portraits of life for Native Americans on and off reservations, of the battle to preserve indigenous culture in the face colonialism, and of the struggle against injustice, either historical or ongoing.” – Crime Fiction Lover

“Wisdom Corner is so compelling. . .  Weiden’s first-rate novel is a loving if critical look at reservation life today and a splendid story of grit and determination.” – Denver Post

“David Heska Wanbli Weiden is a first-rate crime author whose sure sense of pace and crisp dialogue is matched by a keen eye for contemporary Native American life and culture. Wisdom Corner is a thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining thriller.” – Apple Books

“Weiden’s gripping sophomore novel is a great read, particularly for fans of C.J. Box or Craig Johnson.” – 5280 magazine

“David Heska Wanbli Weiden delivers chills and thrills in a new installment of his award-winning Virgil Wounded Horse series.” – Time magazine

“It’s another insightful look into Native American crime fiction. . . Wisdom Corner, like its predecessor, is a thriller with some weight — the sort of story that fascinates and lingers.” – Westword

“[Wisdom Corner] is never predictable and always engrossing. Weiden tells powerful tales, and his far from perfect hero grounds his urgent investigation of Native American history, culture, and resilience.” – Crime Fiction Review

“The long-awaited sequel to the award-winning WINTER COUNTS is finally here . . . and it is well worth the wait. . . Weiden has a gift for depicting reservation life with its many issues in a clear way . .   [a]nd to top it off, he is quite the story teller. David, don’t make us wait quite so long for the next one, please. – Deadly Pleasures

“Many of the aspects of reservation life are unveiled, as is the difficulty for one man to change. Ties to past horrors of children forced to attend boarding schools and dirty politics are all woven in.” – Denton Record-Chronicle

“Wisdom Corner is a raw yet moving journey as we follow one good man trying to do one good thing. A tour de force!”
– S.A. Cosby, author of King of Ashes

“Although David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s brilliant second novel is a mystery, like all great stories it spreads its wings and soars over so much important territory. Virgil Wounded Horse, Weiden’s flawed protagonist with his eye always on justice, is at the center of Wisdom Corner. Through his perceptions, readers see the struggle of life on the Rosebud Reservation. Generational trauma, the spiderweb of legal jurisdictions, the insidious legacy of prejudice, all play a role in this riveting thriller that will surprise you to the very end. If you want the real picture of what it is to be Native American today, read David Weiden. It’s a rare ability to entertain and enlighten at the same time, and Weiden is a master at it. ”
– William Kent Krueger, author of Apostle’s Cove

“The shocks keep coming in Wisdom Corner—David Weiden’s rocketing new crime thriller! The heroic yet humble reservation enforcer, Virgil Wounded Horse, returns in this intense follow-up to Weiden’s triumphant debut. I was riveted by the twisty plot, flying through pages to uncover the mystery behind violent horrors threatening Virgil’s community. A propulsive ride from start to finish!”
– Mona Susan Power, author of A Council of Dolls

“Virgil Wounded Horse is the Rosebud Reservation’s reluctant private avenger—the warrior who will find justice for those failed by the formal system. Wisdom Corner is a propulsive, tightly plotted thriller, but through Virgil’s eyes, it is also a subtle and thoughtful exploration of legal, political, and social inequities at a time when art is one of the few ways to widen people’s life experiences.”
– Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Note

“[Wisdom Corner] is very good. It’s not a traditional crime novel, but somehow bridges a strange cross-genre between crime and literary fiction. . . . There’s a passage in this book that was a series of perfect paragraphs cascading one after the other, culminating in such a gut-punch of beauty and emotion that it made me put the book down for a bit and stare into the trees beyond my yard.” – Sean Patrick Little