Mysteries and Thrillers by Indigenous Authors

When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town — a place with dark ties to an elite historical society — archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate … from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie. The Bone Thief proves that the sins of the past are destined to repeat until the truth is finally unearthed.

A mother and son travel to a dilapidated cabin in the woods that haunts more than just her memories in this new unnerving horror from the author of The Whistler and Sisters of the Lost Nation.

A Native American first contact story and gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse. Daniel H. Wilson’s Hole in the Sky is a riveting thriller in the most creative tradition of extraterrestrial fiction. Drawing on Wilson’s unique background as both a threat forecaster for the United States Air Force and a Cherokee Nation citizen, this propulsive novel asks probing questions about nonhuman intelligence, the Western mindset, and humans’ understanding of reality.

On the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should be: She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl and her charming husband — a white academic whose area of study is her own Mohawk culture — is nothing but supportive. But Alice could not feel like more of an impostor. Then, strange things start to happen and she finds herself losing bits of time and hearing voices she can’t explain … A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences.

When a young girl goes missing, the ghosts of the past collide with her family’s secrets in a mesmerizing Native American Southern Gothic novel. Steeped in Indigenous folklore and drawing from the author’s own family history, If the Dead Belong Here examines what it means to be haunted — both by the supernatural and by terrors of our own making.

The bestselling Indigenous dark fiction anthology returns with a new selection of even more daring and sinister stories. Featuring stories of unspeakable yet satisfying terror, from twisted psychological tales to gore-filled monster hunts, this new selection of stories will sate your darkest appetites and leave you slavering for more. Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood is a further celebration of Indigenous survival and the enduring tradition of transforming adversity into art.

To find a missing young woman, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr must rediscover herself. Devastated by her daughter’s death, Starr returns to her roots on a reservation where she is the new tribal marshal. In the past decade many young women have disappeared from the rez – some ending up dead while others are never seen or heard from again. Now, local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing. Starr falls into the investigation and must confront haunting memories of her daughter – the girl she couldn’t save – and the mysterious figure with the body of a woman and the antlers of a deer from her father’s stories. 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.

Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police force. Her excellent photography skills have cracked many cases — she is almost supernaturally good at capturing details. In fact, Rita has been hiding a secret: She sees the ghosts of crime victims who point her toward the clues that other investigators overlook. But, her ability has isolated her from friends and gotten her in trouble with the law. And now it might be what gets her killed … This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation.

Since her death, Beth Teller’s life has been a spectral limbo. Her grieving father is the only one who can see and hear her. Together, they tackle a new mystery in a remote Australian town that will hopefully remind Beth’s father that he needs to reconnect to the living. A suspicious fire has left an unidentifiable body and an unreliable witness who speaks in riddles. As Beth and her father delve into the case, they uncover a haunting, heartbreaking story revealing dark secrets beneath the town’s surface.

Renee “Cash” Blackbear is 19 years old and tough as nails. She lives in Fargo, North Dakota, where she drives a truck for local farmers, drinks beer, plays pool, and helps solve criminal investigations through the power of her visions. She has one friend, Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, who helped her out of the broken foster care system. One morning, Sheriff Wheaton is called to investigate a pile of rags in a field and finds the body of an Indigenous man. Together, Cash and Wheaton work to solve a murder that stretches across cultures in a rural community traumatized by racism, genocide, and oppression.

In the small Ojibwe town of Geshig on the Languille Lake reservation, Marion Lafournier, a gay Ojibwe man, begins a secret romance with Shannon, a closeted white man. Amidst the challenges of their hidden relationship, Marion accidentally awakens the spirit of a dog while exploring dark streets. The spirit guides him to the grave of Kayden Kelliher, a murdered Ojibwe basketball star. Marion’s quest to uncover the truth behind Kayden’s death reveals deep family ties and an old Ojibwe legend that may solve the mystery.

Mae hasn’t been called Mud since she left her tribe. In Silicon Valley, she is known as Mae, a high-powered professional who abandoned her Kiowa roots. When she receives a cryptic message from her grandfather James Sawpole she returns home to her ancestral lands in what is now known as Oklahoma. There, she finds her tribe in turmoil — fracking damaging their lands, families selling artifacts, and threats against her grandfather over water rights. When he goes missing and is accused of stealing a valuable medal, Mud must unravel a web of theft, betrayal, and murder. As she investigates, she embarks on a vision quest fraught with deceit, greed, and danger.