A debut novel with a difference, Never Name the Dead by D M Rowell is a most surprising delight of a tale. Whilst initially labelled as crime fiction, this is so much more - an epic ode to the Kiowa Nation and their oral storytelling tradition. Mud returns to her homelands after her grandfather summons her after he has taken a tribal artifact and disappeared. Tribal tensions are high with problems at the local heritage museum, with tribal artifacts being sold and illegal gas fracking occurring on tribal lands. Then a dead body is discovered and the finding of Mud’s tribal storytelling leader grandfather is crucial to resolving the escalating tensions as well as a murder to solve. An engrossing read with a lyrical narrative that captures the nuance and issues of Native Americans and their identity and belonging. The crime element is central and yet not the main factor in this must-read five star plus homage to indigenous storytelling. With heartfelt gratitude and many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

Never Name the Dead brought to life the Kiowa culture in Oklahoma and the tug of war that a young woman has between her native culture and her life in California. Mae (Mud) has been summoned by her grandfather to come home and help him. Unfortunately, he is not there to pick her up at the airport and she knows very little about what he needs.

Mae along with her cousin Dennis go in search of their grandfather when it becomes apparent that something is very wrong in their tribe. Heritage items are being sold off with the profits going to a salesman and his minions, someone is fracking and stealing water from their grandfather and their is a dead body; just who was the intended victim?

Mae is also interrupted constantly by her staff back in Silicon Valley who are concerned about a client and her partner. She lives in two separate worlds and her current priority is her grandfather.

I knew nothing of the Kiowa Tribe so it was very informative but there were a number of elements that were repeated, I found that unnecessary. I was disappointed in the loose ends at the end of the book, I assume there is a sequel planned.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Never Name the Dead is a very good debut, the story revolves around a Native American tribe, the difficulties within the tribe @nd outside influences. The story held my interest but too much happened and was solved in a day.

"As I washed with the sage smoke, I tried to release my worries for the agency, Grandpa, and the Tribe. I physically opened, with my arms stretched to the sky above, and mentally released my spirit to the wind— opened myself to discovery. I stepped out of the pungent smoke and sent a silent prayer with the drifting smoke upward to Daw’Kee, the Creator, this time asking guidance in finding the truth."

This is one of those books where unfortunately a lot of reviewers will feel the need to overinflate their rating, something I've noticed with books related to Native Americans.

But frankly if I were just rating this as a mystery it would be 2 stars. The mystery of Mud, our protagonist's grandfather stole the tribes valued Jefferson Peace medal is the weakest part of the story. But this book has a huge cultural aspect regarding the Kiowa people and its traditions that I really enjoyed.

Still it's only a 3 star read, overall.

Thank you Crooked Lane books and netgalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was quite different to most books out there. I liked the main character, and the tribal history, and the pace was good. Well worth a read.

This mystery introduces Mae Sawpole who is a Kiowa currently working in the Silicon Valley as a firm that gets companies ready for their IPOs. She is under deadline and having problems with her partner messing things up when she gets a call from her grandfather back in Oklahoma which gets her on the next plane to see him.

Mae, who is known as Mud in Kiowa country, is surprised when her grandfather isn't waiting for her when she gets off the plane. She is even more surprised at her welcoming committee. A counselor in the tribe, an old friend of her grandfather, and a woman who seems to have an agenda are all looking for her grandfather.

She heads to her grandfather's home with Wilson, the old friend, but he seems to be doing everything possible to delay her. When she finally gets to her grandfather's she finds a Wilson dead in her grandfather's private workroom.

Mud had to figure out how to find her grandfather who has been accused of stealing a priceless Peace medal and who just might be a suspect in Wilson's death. It doesn't take much time for Mud to discover that there is some illegal fracking going on somewhere on Kiowa land and also that an unscrupulous art dealer is searching out and selling priceless Kiowa artifacts including the one her grandfather is accused of stealing.

This was an engaging story steeped in Kiowa history and culture. Mud is an intriguing character who is torn between her life in California and her life in Oklahoma. Her grandfather is currently the Kiowa story keeper, and he has trained Mud to be his successor, but she can't do that from California. Nor can she run her business from Oklahoma.

This story does bring some of the plot threads to a successful conclusion, but quite a few others, including Mud's future, are left dangling for future books in this series.

In Silicon Valley, she wasn’t referred to as Mud. She was Mae, a successful businesswoman who had moved away from her Kiowa heritage ten years prior. But when her grandfather James Sawpole leaves her a coded voicemail begging her to return home, it sounds so absurd that she boards the next flight to Oklahoma. She had no idea that she would become entangled in a web of thievery, betrayal, and murder. Mud finds a tribe that is in turmoil. Her grandfather has been threatened with death by frackers over his water rights, fracking is destroying their ancestral grounds, and Kiowa communities are being pressured to sell off their treasures. Mud is forced to look for answers when she and her cousin Denny find her grandfather missing and suspect him of taking the priceless Jefferson Peace medal from the tribe museum—as well as a body in his workroom. Mud enters the Wildlife Refuge intending to clear her grandfather’s name and find the murderer. However, Mud is unaware that she is about to go off on a vision quest that will involve lying, greed, and charging buffalo as well as the fact that a killer is after her.

D.M. Rowell’s debut book is called Never Name the Dead. From the perspective of a young homosexual woman who has left her home in Lawton, Oklahoma to establish her agency in Silicon Valley, California, Rowell takes readers on a tour through the Kiowa culture. Mae Sawpole gets a stern warning to return home from her tribal elder grandfather James. I enjoyed how the Kiowa culture was woven into a mystery regarding the invasion of their territories and customs. When the plot wasn’t reverting to history lessons, the idea of a queer, native protagonist solving a mystery piqued my curiosity. The language incorporation and other cultural details caught my attention.

I appreciated the personal touches she included. She brought up topics that still have an impact on native people, which I found appealing. Even though it’s a work of fiction, she uses actual events to offer context and teach readers what happens on native reservations. The inclusion of tales from the Kiowa tribe pleased me. I had a great reading experience with this narrative. Mud was a unique character who did a great job of juggling her roles as a businesswoman, a detective who returns home, and eventually a storyteller. The story was captivating, and I liked how it happened over a single day. The revelations were cool and unexpected, and the plot was skillfully weaved.

I'm not usually one for mysteries, even of the cozy persuasion. But if there's more where Mud came from, sign me up for the series.

If I'm being honest, and (unfortunately for me) I'm usually brutally honest, my comfort zone is historical fiction. Which probably explains why I loved the weaving of Kiowa history and culture in throughout the book, not as an aside, but as part of our main character's thought process. A way of showing us the world through her eyes.

As for the mystery, I was hooked pretty early son. I felt it was well paced, was completely surprised by the ending, and am now eagerly awaiting what comes next for Mud.

I am very appreciative of the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) and NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to offer honest my review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

This ran between irritating to full blown frustration, it just seemed unnecessary to use homophobia and racist slurs to tell the story of fracking and the native tribe.

1.5☆

After being summoned by her grandfather, a young woman returns home to find he's gone missing and there's something sinister going on on the reservation.

Fast-paced and gripping. Never Name the Dead is a recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

Every chapter ends with a clue/question (detective version of sex in the city feel) I like the story it brings light to environmental concerns, native cultural heritage concerns, and the new generation preserving the traditions on their way, LGBQ is Easy to get into since the tone is light and playful. dialogue focus on the protagonist's inner thoughts sprinkled in. The mystery of missing grandpa was a great hook. The inner struggle of her guilt of leaving the heritage but she progressed in her own journey in life. I also really like all the characters. in this book!

Every now and then a book comes along that will stay with you long after you've read its last page. Never Name the Dead by D.M. Rowell is such a book for me.
From the very beginning I was fascinated with the poignant story woven by Rowell of the main character Mud as she travels to Oklahoma and her Kiawa tribe in answer to a summons from her grandfather. At one point early in the book, Mud's cousin tells her how the stories she told as a young person had the power to grip her listeners and make them feel and experience what the people in the stories she told were going through, and that is as apt a description of Rowell's storytelling in this book as could be. Indeed, she weaves an intricate tale of intrigue and mystery while also telling the tale of her people's history and present that goes beyond mere facts found elsewhere.
Beyond the superb storytelling, the book is well-written, the characters are deep and relatable, and the book is one that is difficult to pub down. I look forward to a sequel, as some issues remain unresolved at the end.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the advance copy of #NeverNametheDead. I feel fortunate to have read it.

There were some decent elements in this book, but overall the heritage story is not as front focused as I'd hoped it would be. It was the wrapping around the story and not intrinsic to it.

What I loved was the interweaving of culture of the Kiowa People into a mystery involving invasion of their lands and traditions. Mud has left her Oklahoma tribe for a successful life in Silicon Valley where she goes by the name of Mae. But her native roots pull her homeward through her beloved grandfather, and in one day she reconnects. While the Kiowa portions rang true, I found the mystery itself merely tacked on to gain a wider audience, and the writing to be repetitive and labored. Still, I'll read more of what D. M. Rowell's work to learn more about the People.

Never Name the Dead by DM Rowell is perfect for the people that like mystery, with strong family relationships, and a story that really unfolds with the character. It truly felt like I was figuring everything out at the same time Mud was and to me that is the perfect pacing. Mud is a strong female hero that readers can easily root for. I also like how some of this story seems to be inspired by the author’s real life. It’s definitely a strong beginning to a new series.
Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Never Name the Dead is a timely thriller rice with Native culture and history.
Thank you for the digital review copy.

I have two views of this book, the first is that I found the whole tribal aspect of the book fascinating and deeply insightful. The second is the story!! The story itself revolves around Mud who runs a successful business but is called back by her Grandfather. But he is not there to pick her up from the airport. As the book evolves so the mystery unravels. Fascinating and brilliant at different levels. Would really recommend this book.

D.M. Rowell’s debut, Never Name the Dead, is a fascinating mystery enshrouded in the history and culture of the Kiowa of Oklahoma. Although it takes place in only one day, it’s a slow-paced story that fits the skill and style of a tribal story keeper.

Mud never felt accepted by the Kiowa, although her grandfather raised her to be the next story keeper for the tribe. Instead, she fled to California, where she uses her skills in her own business in Silicon Valley. Then, her grandfather calls saying she needs to come home. With no other message, she leaves her business on the eve of an important event, and flies to Oklahoma. But, her grandfather isn’t at the airport waiting for her.

Instead, she finds several other tribal elders who are looking for her grandfather, James Sawpole. She catches a ride with one, but feels blocked and manipulated the entire time. It’s only when her cousin Denny catches up with her that she feels safe. But, Denny warns her of local problems. Fracking is polluting the water. Families are being forced to sell their Kiowa treasures for needed cash, and the Kiowa’s valuable Jefferson Peace Medal has disappeared. Somehow, Mud’s grandpa is mixed up in all of that. But, when she arrives at his home, she finds a body. And, her grandfather is missing.

Although Mud and Denny start out together to find their grandfather, it’s actually Mud’s quest. Denny accuses Mud of forgetting who she is, the next tribal story keeper who left the Kiowa behind for California and business. Now, in her search for her grandfather, in her encounters with a wild boar and a buffalo, Mud has to find her way home to her people. She has to find answers to a thief and a killer who is destroying their community. As a story keeper, she needs to find the tribe’s truth.

As I said, Never Name the Dead can feel slow at times when we’re used to fast-paced thrillers and mysteries. But, the story accommodates the pace. A Kiowa story keeper must introduce themselves and the background before getting to the heart, the truth of the story. Rowell does that with a beautifully written debut, history, culture, and social issues all written as a story.

The woman her Kiowa tribe know as Mud has built a high-powered corporate life for herself over the past decade in California, having left her tribal roots and traditions behind. She’s found herself in some ways, but has she lost herself on others? On the eve of closing a huge deal at her advertising agency, she returns to Oklahoma only to discover a tribe in disarray, and her grandfather missing. Fracking is shattering their lands and dividing the tribe. Could frackers have kidnapped her grandfather, an artist and story keeper for the tribe? Or is he on the run, now accused of stealing the priceless Jefferson Peace medal from the tribe’s museum. When Mud and her cousin Denny discover a body in their grandfather’s work room, the stakes could not be higher. Can Mud find the truth, and herself along the way?

First-time novelist Rowell does a good job drawing readers in and seasoning her tale with lots of Kiowa culture and history, balancing action with some fascinating and memorable characters beyond the intriguing heroine. Some readers who prefer staccato plotting may get impatient, but for many others – like me – the insights into Kiowa culture will greatly enrich what is an absorbing and engaging mystery.