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by Laurie L. Dove
To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself.
At rock bottom following her daughter's death, ex–Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr's father never talked much about the reservation where he was raised, but the tribe needs a new marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home.
In the past decade, too many young women have disappeared from the rez. Some have ended up dead, others just…gone. Now local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing, and Starr falls into an investigation that leaves her drowning in memories of her daughter—the girl she failed to save.
Starr feels lost in this place she thought would welcome her. And when she catches a glimpse of a figure from her father's stories, with the body of a woman and the antlers of a deer, Starr can't shake the feeling that the fearsome spirit is watching her, following her.
What she doesn't know is whether Deer Woman is here to guide her or to seek vengeance for the lost daughters that Starr can never bring home.
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/23/2025)
After finishing "Frozen River", I picked up "Serviceberry" by Robin Wall Kimmerer and just started "Mask of the Deer Woman" by Laurie L. Dove.
-Carol_Ann_Robb
"[H]aunting...Though the Saliquaw Nation is fictional, the novel's vivid depiction of the reservation and its inhabitants rings true—by contrast, the villains are somewhat two-dimensional. Still, there's enough here for readers to want to see Carrie back in action soon." —Publishers Weekly
"This novel shines with Starr's outsider analysis of the reservation where her father grew up but doesn't consider her one of its own. Some secondary characters remain undeveloped, possibly for a sequel to explore. Strongly consider this for public libraries, particularly those serving tribal land." —Library Journal
"Mask of the Deer Woman shines an important spotlight on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis while folding a compelling mystery into a heartfelt journey of grief, identity, and reconnection." —Vanessa Lillie, USA Today bestselling author of Blood Sisters
"A beautifully written tale about the Indigenous girls who disappear twice, once in life and once in the news. Clever, elegant and utterly compelling, Mask of the Deer Woman is a brilliant exploration of identity and the struggle of being separated from one's culture. Hypnotic and beguiling, I was hooked from the first sentence." —Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of These Still Black Waters
"A thriller that dreams are made of—thoroughly engrossing, riveting, an absolute pleasure. The work of a rare, singular talent." —Chris Mooney, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Walk in My Combat Boots
This information about Mask of the Deer Woman was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Laurie L. Dove is a reporter and editor whose work has appeared in numerous publications and garnered several honors for outstanding journalism. She graduated with a master's degree in Creative Writing and Literature from Harvard University. She is an adjunct professor who currently lives and writes in Kansas. Find her at lauriedove.com.
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