Looking for Smoke

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

This mystery set on a Native reservation in majestic Montana gracefully explores themes of Indigenous grief and belonging. New to the reservation and with only one Native parent, teenage Mara is struggling to fit in. When a local girl tragically dies, it’s revealed that Mara was one of the last people to see her, unexpectedly drawing her into a murder investigation. K. A. Cobell uses a gripping fictional tale to draw attention to the very real tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women in North America. Heightening the suspense with an innovative structure, she tells the story from the different perspectives of four key suspects who were each close to the victim, with a full cast of narrators on board to skilfully portray each one. If you like mysteries grounded in crucial real-life issues, Looking for Smoke is essential listening.