One of the Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of 2022—Criminal Element

One of the Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2022—CrimeReads

Buck, government name Michael Fineday, Ojibwe name Miskwa’ doden (Red Deer) is on the brink of suicide. He has just been served divorce papers by his wife Naomi, who is fed up with his savior complex and the danger it often attracts to their door. Living on the border of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community reservation, Buck makes a living as a boatbuilder and carpenter. He spends his days alone, trying to win the trust of a feral cat…until a semi-feral girl shows up, fascinated by the canoe Buck is building.

Lucy, Ojibwe name Gage’ bineh, (Everlasting Bird), lives in a trailer alone with her father, a local policeman struggling with PTSD which is compounded by the loss of Lucy’s mother. Just barely fifteen she has lived with a lifetime of abuse, while knowing that if she ever spoke out, her father would bear the consequences.

Buck senses Lucy is in trouble and doesn't hesitate to come to her defense. On the foundation of their shared Ojibwe heritage, they trace Lucy’s abuse to a ring that extends farther than either of them ever imagined, while building a bond even sturdier than Buck’s canoe.

"From one of the most original voices of the past several years comes a powerful story of brutal violence and righteous vengeance. Set on a reservation in southern Minnesota, THE RED CANOE unflinchingly explores the challenges of racial prejudice and sexual predation faced by an extraordinary Native teenager. Master storyteller Wayne Johnson has crafted this tale with both compassion and wisdom, and keeps the suspense building relentlessly toward the novel’s bitter cold and enormously satisfying climax."—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of THIS TENDER LAND
“Heart-warming and gut- wrenching. A nuanced, superbly written justice thriller laced with unflinching grit and social commentary.”—Booklist (Starred Review)
"A powerful story of Indigenous people who are abused but also determined to battle brutality and corruption themselves when they can't rely on the authorities."—Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-pounding, THE RED CANOE is a gritty and yet tender novel about an unrelenting pursuit for justice, redemption, and revenge. With nods to classic noir, westerns, action movies, and wilderness survival stories, this novel has a cast of misfit unlikely heroes you'll root for 'til the bloody end."—Tara Laskowski, award-winning author of THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR
"Intriguing…Readers will care enough about Buck and Lucy to see how they fare.”—Publishers Weekly