While the premise sounded right up my alley, the actuality of the book was not for me. I found the writing to be stilted and the story hard to follow.

Never Name the Dead by D. M. Rowell contains lots of Kiowa lore with an interesting story of murder, fracking and theft of family artifacts. Mae, raised by her grandfather to be a tribal storyteller, returns to Oklahoma to help him sort things out.

Never Name the Dead is a debut novel, and the first in a new series. An interesting mystery, centred around the misappropriation of traditional Indigenous artifacts and art, and the importance of maintaining and carrying forward traditions.

The premise of this story is what drew me in, but unfortunately the writing let me down a bit. The prose was choppy and flat in sections, and I was not able to connect with the characters. That being said, I will probably pick up the second book in the series, to see where the author takes the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a debut novel, so I’ll tread lightly. The plot of the story, a slight thriller, is quite good. The flow of the writing is not bad at all. However, I picked this up because it was supposed to be fiction. There can be no question at all that I need to know and understand more about the history of the Kiowa, but that isn’t why I decided to read this book. I thought it was fiction, a thriller in fact. Rowell gave me a lot of history of the Kiowa Indians. So much so that the book became “academic” to me. It almost seemed as if he was trying to dress up his thesis.

I have been put off reading this Arc, when requesting it, it drew me in. However when I started to read it. This book fell really flat for me. It felt very predictable and the story just did not make me want to continue to read. I read 17% of the book and did end up not finishing.

An awesome new series full of possibilities. Rowell has given protagonist Mid an excellent voice and her treatment of the Kiowa is both respectful and intriguing. I look forward to the continuing series.

Once I started this read it absolutely engaged me! Mae's landing at the airport and reluctant ride with Wilson had me interested and paying attention to each detail.

Ever interested in this country's indigenous tribes, their cultures and lives before and after America came into being (at their great cost), I have always had books on these topics in my reading lists. When this book became available, I was thrilled and sought it out.

Mae (in English) whose Kiowa name is Mud, is likeable and smart. She's being called to her ancestral home to help her beloved Grandfather for some unknown reason. Quickly she learns that tribal artifacts are going missing, including the one most precious of all: the Jefferson Peace medal. She hopes to find out why she's been called away by Grandfather (with some urgency) since her busy agency has a successful deal pending back in California - where her own home and daily life is based - to which she needs to attend. . . .but it doesn't exactly work out that way.

A great read, filled with Kiowa culture and traditions. The author skillfully provides an unknowing reader information regarding the whys and wherefors of many of the tribal symbols, words, and without losing narrative ground. . .I'm that reader and want to know (and be able to properly respect) those things.

You won't want to miss the interaction between Grandfather James and Grandfather Buffalo!

A Sincere Thank You to D.M. Rowell, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #NevernametheDead #NetGalley

After receiving an unexplained plea for assistance from her cherished grandfather, Mud Sawpole, the prodigal daughter, has returned to her Kiowa community in Oklahoma. The mystery of the story begins as soon as Mud's grandpa fails to pick her up at the airport, and it moves quickly as we learn more about Mud, her past, and the community she loves but finds difficult to fit into.

The story completely defied my expectations of a murder mystery plot, particularly when Mud encountered dead ends and interacted with mentor figures who were anything but straightforward. If this book is a part of a bigger series, I can't wait to see more of Mud's adventures.

I got this one as an ARC monthsss ago and totally put off reading it for some reason. I absolutely devoured the Kiowa culture present in this book. It also starts out super strong, suspenseful, and engaging. Unfortunately by midway it died out and I lost that engagement and interest. I was no longer invested in the who-done-it mystery even though I didn’t figure out who the culprit was. I will give the second book a try though!

DNF - At the end of the day, I was hoping that this book was going to be something that it wasn't. I wasn't able to engage with the story as I had hoped & therefore I'm dropping out early.

An enjoyable mystery but did not flow well in certain areas. The plot was good and I liked the characters.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a slow-burn of a book, but I loved every minute. I'd read anything Rowell puts out next.

This was a really fun book and story, the mystery elements were just a little obvious and convenient. There are only so many times that a character should be conveniently overhearing useful information in a novel, let alone a single chapter. I did really enjoy the writing however and look forward to future works by this author.

This is debut novel by D.M. Rowell. Rowell comes from a long line of Kiowa Storytellers. The Kiowa culture treasures oral traditions. I enjoyed learning about this indigenous culture through this novel and would actually love to learn more. Sadly, I thought the story needed to be a bit more focused in many areas. It was redundant and slow at times. It lost my attention in several places. Also, many times it seemed to jump from thought to thought - just needed more focus and an easier flow. Perhaps more editing. I did have to suspend disbelief in some of the things that Mae did - but she did start to grow on me in the end. I was torn on how I felt about this novel -but it did keep my focus more toward the end - even though ending left me with questions.

I really enjoyed this book. The author’s writing style feels like you are sitting and listening to stories by your elders.

There’s something about this book. The book is rich with Native American culture.

Mud is an interesting protagonist. Loved how she put everything together and got the murderer to own up in front of a room full of witnesses!!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

I have had a hard time getting into this one. The synopsis sounds fantastic but maybe the writing isn't for me? I am very much a mood reader and so I will try and pick this one up again in the future!

A moving murder mystery that allows representation on multiple levels in a sort of homecoming for our intrepid, discerning protagonist. Thank you to the publishers at Crooked Lane Books for an eARC copy!

Mud Sawpole is the prodigal daughter returned to her Kiowa community in Oklahoma after a mysterious request of help from her beloved grandfather. The story start off immediately in its mystery once Mud’s grandfather doesn’t show up to the airport to pick her up and reads quickly as we get to know more of Mud, her history, and the community she loves but struggles to find her place within.

I loved that the story upended a lot of expectations from a traditional murder mystery plot, especially with Mud hitting dead ends as well as engaging with mentor figures who are else’s than straightforward. I can’t wait to see more of Mud’s adventures especially if this book is part of a larger series.

Never Name the Dead introduces us to Mae "Mud" Sawpole, a Kiowa, who is asked by her grandfather James to come home from Silicon Valley to Oklahoma to help him in a cryptic message. When she arrives, James is nowhere to be found. Where is he? Her search for him leads to more questions, a dead body, theft of the Jefferson Peace Medal, and illegal fracking; but not to James. Mae tries to follow the leads and solve all the mysteries while trying to locate her grandfather.

This debut was quite enjoyable. This reads more like the first in a series, as we get a lot of back story on Mae and her struggles with not being accepted by other Kiowas because of her looks.

Some reviewers mention there's too much history in this book. I, however, disagree. The history is relevant to the story and learning about the Kiowa culture, and how and why the Kiowa interact the way they do with each other. There were a few loose ends, and I hope they will be addressed in the next book, assuming that there is one.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books, D.M. Rowell, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Just recently while teaching my students English in Spain, we came across the name Kiowa. This tribe is where the name Oklahoma comes from. I was doubly excited to find this book on the NetGalley site.

This is a great beginning to a series featuring Mae Sawpole. I certainly hope this is the first book of many. The mystery deals with stolen Native American artifacts, fracking and greed. Also how even this culture is not necessarily welcoming to someone who looks different from them. And ultimately how one’s inside feelings are more important than their appearances. An attentive reader is capable of figuring out the mystery but it is so well done. I feel like the clues are all in plain sight, but this does not take away from it being a good mystery.

D.M. Rowell is Kiowan and has a very similar background to the protagonist. She has worked in California for many years working in marketing, helping to tell stories. Now she is turning her hand at plotting mysteries.
I highly recommend this book. I am giving it 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. I look forward to more mysteries from D.M. Rowell.

I really enjoyed Never Name the Dead for many reasons, but most of all, I loved this window into Kiowa culture.

"The land demanded attention. This was Kiowa country as it had been for my ancestors - rough, wild, and harshly beautiful."

When Mae returns home at her grandfather's urging, the world she left behind embraces her right from the airport. Thrown into tribal politics, finding her footing within her family and the community, and rediscovering herself are the true gems within this story. Sure, the mystery is twisty and complex and keeps you guessing until the end, but it's really the backdrop to the greater story that is Mae accepting the role she was born into in her community.

I've had very limited exposure to Native American culture, and I've only read (and know of) one other book with a similar focus. Winter Counts spotlights the Sicangu Lakota people who live on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, and Never Name the Dead is about the Kiowa people who migrated from Montana to Colorado and eventually into Oklahoma. While it's not great reading about how the historical atrocities against Native Americans have not been left in the past, it's better than being swept under the rug and forgotten about. I know I definitely need to add more books by Native American authors to my TBR.

"How easily I had forgotten the families living without power or running water on reservations and what had been reservation lands. Native Americans, America's proud first Americans, are the poorest in our nation - an unseen and overlooked minority. I shook my head and made a mental promise to do better."

The only complaint I have is the fluidity of the narrative. It was difficult enough to strike the right balance between keeping the mystery moving forward while explaining Kiowa culture and history, let alone having these constant calls coming in from Silicon Valley. I liked the tug of war Mae felt between what she considers her future, her business, and her history, but it affected the flow of the story. It was such a relief when Mae had to leave her phone behind at one point - we finally got to relax into what was happening and just let it happen.

The ending was a little abrupt. Is there supposed to be another book? There are so many loose ends left untied; there better be more coming!