DNF - I get that MMIW are a real problem that we're ignoring, but the "detective who doesn't really belong on the rez" has been done better by others.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Good read, but very predictable! I think the main character had a lot of demons and the demons almost finished her off.

Review coming soon!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.

In her debut novel, Mask of the Deer Woman, Laurie Dove highlights the issue of missing Indigenous women this tale of a mixed-race woman who is assigned to a reservation on the Kansas-Oklahoma border, where many young women and girls of the fictitious Saliquaw Nation have disappeared over the years. Now, Marshal Carrie Starr must search for a college student, whose mother insists she would not have disappeared on her own.

I didn’t find Starr to be a particularly likable person. I’m not sure she even fits the definition of an anti-hero, at least not for most of the plot. She just wants to do enough to get by. She’s a sorry excuse for a law enforcement agent, at least initially. She’s been sent to the rez mainly because of her heritage and because she messed up big time in Chicago. This is her last chance to prove herself. Starr doesn’t really expect to find Chenoa Cloud because she does believe that the woman left on her own, like so many others who have nothing to live for on the rez. Starr herself has little to live for; she’s grieving the death of her daughter. She’s angry, not just at the person responsible, but at herself and at the world.

When she arrives, members of the tribe do not seem to accept her. No one wants to give her information about the missing woman. To them, she’s an outsider, despite the fact that her late father once lived there. As the hours and days pass, Starr feels like she’s getting nowhere. She copes by swigging whiskey that she stows under the seat of her Bronco and toking weed that she keeps in her pocket. It seemed to me that someone would’ve gotten a whiff of that, but no one says a word about it, at least not to Starr. And she seems to barely eat regular meals. With habits like that, how she could function was beyond me. Another death reminds her of her daughter, sends her reeling, but how many more will there be? Maybe she can find Chenoa before it’s too late.

It is Chenoa’s grandmother who, in her rambling, seemingly delusional way, speaks to Starr of the Deer Woman. Is she real? People claim to have seen her. Maybe Starr does too. Motivated by the memory of her daughter and the Native women who are lost, Starr is determined to keep on searching.

Life on the reservation is hard. People live in poverty, and they do what they can to survive and to cope. When the town and a big company offer a chance for the Nation to become prosperous, the tribal council is all for it, but some in the community disagree. There will be a steep cost to the land, the water, and to the wildlife if the development plans proceed.

Laurie Dove has created a story that is both magically mystical and painfully realistic. Despite my early skepticism, the more Starr became engaged in her job, the more I became engaged in following along. The Mask of the Deer Woman is an impressive debut novel.

I received an ARC copy. Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Dove. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars

Such a well written book that will keep you captivated until the very end. This should be in everyone's tbr for 2025.

As soon as I began to read this book it sucked me right in. The pages were flying, my mind was turning, and my heart was breaking for these Indigenous girls and woman who have disappeared from the Rez. The police, BIA, FBI, anyone who could be of any help have turned their back on the Saliquaw Nation. Giving any excuse they can come up with not to do an actual investigation. Ex-Chicago Detective Carrie Starr has been assigned as the new tribal marshal. Carrie has never lived on the rez, but her father grew up there. Making her eligible for the position. Her life has been turned upside down since the death of her daughter. Carrie finds the bottom of too many whiskey bottles. She needs a fresh start, a place to mourn, and hopefully turn her life around.

After arriving Carrie has no time to settle in. Chenoa Cloud has disappeared. Her mother cannot get ahold of her, and it has been days. Chenoa has been hunting for an endangered beetle. Which could save the rez from the newest oil venture. As Carrie begins to dig into the missing girls, she is beginning to see the puzzle pieces beginning to move. Who has the power and who does not? She must also confront her own past. Leaving her to wish her father brought her back to the rez more often and to teach his ways. As the past and the present comes to a head, leaving all to bear.

I loved the atmospheric vibe that was created. The intense cold, the wind, the driving rain, made me burro deeper into my blankets. The daily hardships that people on the rez run into made my heart bleed. Thank you to Laurie L. Dove and Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy of this phenomenal book.

This book is full of brutal truths, and brokenness caused by trauma. The author does not shy away from the tension between wanting to ignore a part of yourself, and feeling like you don’t belong anywhere. Starr is a woman with no hope-teetering on the edge of a cliff into full-blown despair. She drowns herself in alcohol to numb all pain, and is only doing her current job because it is her last chance at something better. Dove draws us into Starr’s despair, and also her initial refusal to accept any Indigenous folklore because facts are the only truth she is willing to believe.

As the reader gets further into the story, we are shown the heartbreaking reality of Indigenous people living on reservations, and the women who disappear without much care or thought from anyone outside of their community. They are the forgotten, the neglected, the lesser than, and the pain their families feel is a blip on the radar of those not living with it everyday.

This book was heavy, agonizing, and a slap in the face with hard truths we must be willing to accept. And although the ending isn’t a happy one, it’s more honest and true to the daily life of Indigenous peoples. Sometimes life doesn’t give you a clean and neatly tied up answer to your problem. Sometimes the only thing you can do it keep going. This book was very good, and I would recommend it to anyone.

When you read as many mysteries and police procedurals as I do, they can all sort of run together. It's especially hard to create a distinct main character. But Dove has done it with Carrie Starr. Carrie really has no interest in solving cases. She’s just started a job as the BIA tribal marshall. Starr is still suffering the loss of her daughter to a drug overdose. This job is her last chance. “All she had to do was give the appearance that she could do her job.” She’s tasked with finding answers to the number of rez women who have gone missing. In particular, the latest woman to go missing is Chenoa Cloud, a college student who came home to do research for her entomology class.
Dove does an excellent job of describing life on the rez - the hardships, the despair. There is a political aspect as an oil company is looking to frack on the reservation land. It divides the community between those looking to finally make some money (this is the only reservation without a casino) and those afraid of the environmental implications. I would have liked this aspect to have explored a little more fully. This is definitely a character driven story. The book is a slow burn with limited action until the end. But it has lots to say about loss - of family and community, of meaning in one’s life.
There is a magical realism aspect to the book, which can be problematic for me. But it wasn’t overwhelming and worked within the confines of the plot.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

Dove crafts a seductive tale that seamlessly weaves commentary on environmentalism, the inequities that Native communities face in this country, and a propulsive mystery plot. The book represents the author's commanding voice and is a debut to watch.

MASK OF THE DEER WOMAN, the debut novel from Author Laurie L. Dove, explores the daily tragic realities faced by Indigenous People living on reservations - the hopelessness, despair, poverty, youth lost to addiction or big cities, rape of land and resources as well as the heartbreaking, ongoing epidemic of missing Indigenous Women who disappear from reservations yearly with little to no recognition or concern from the news media or law enforcement.

After the murder of her teenage daughter left her drowning in grief and guilt with no place to turn, ex-Chicago Detective Carrie Starr finally lands a job as tribal marshal for the new Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Oklahoma reservation where her father grew up. Hoping to be accepted home, her main priority is to investigate the cold cases of missing and murdered Indigenous Women others have deemed unworthy. The urgency and stakes increase when Chenoa Cloud, a local college girl researching the possibility of an endangered species of insects on a plot of reservation land, disappears with clues pointing towards a connection to past disappearances. As Carrie begins investigating, her own dark, haunting memories surface, leaving her lost in foggy hallucinations of the Deer Woman, a mystical Indian lore figure with a female body bearing a deer's antlers - one she recalls from her father's long-ago tales, but why is she repeatedly appearing to Carrie? As she digs deeper, Carrie begins uncovering widespread corruption among the town's leaders including a get rich scheme involving oil found on reservation land. . . the same land that may be an endangered species' habitat. It's up to Carrie to connect all the pieces of the puzzle before another girl disappears. Carrie failed to save her own daughter . . . she can't let these women down.

MASK OF THE DEER WOMAN is an intense, highly atmospheric story about the plight of a nation of people long ignored by authorities as well as the news media. Most of the story unfolds through Carrie's point of view, allowing readers to ride shotgun as she frantically searches for the missing women hoping to bring closure to grieving families while trying to keep a handle on her own sanity. Carrie's repeated hazy visions set a dire tone of malice, driving a steadily rising pace as she races the clock to find the missing college student before she too is lost. The author does a fantastic job offering up red herrings with plausible motive to keep readers guessing until the final climax and reveal. The magical realism element of Indian lore is beautifully written and incorporated into the story in a manner that enhances the plot line while driving the suspense. Characters and readers are left wondering if the deer woman is friend or foe.

Author Laurie L. Dove's debut novel, MASK OF THE DEER WOMAN, is the heartbreaking story of missing and murdered Indigenous women often ignored by law enforcement. It's the story of the difficulty faced by one woman in her search to find her place in a cruel, unaccepting world that took her daughter from her – to find a place of healing where she belongs when she's pulled between two vastly different worlds, neither of which welcome her. Intense and highly visual, MASK OF THE DEER WOMAN is for fans of mysteries, suspense and heartfelt stories with a touch of magical realism.

Being Native American, I’m always appreciative to see books with indigenous characters, especially when they are the main character. While a fictional book, the storyline hits on how missing and murdered indigenous women do not make news headlines. I was unfamiliar of the deer woman and found myself researching her when I was not reading. Although the pace of the book was slow at times, I really did enjoy the read and am happy to recommend it.

A Marshall, dealing with past trauma, the loss of her daughter, alcoholism, the loss of her job is sent to the rez to find a missing girl. Her father was part of the tribe at one point, her mother was white so she didn't grow up belonging. Merging cultural myths of the deer woman, political issues that the rez is dealing with and the sad reality of so many missing girls not getting the help and attention they need is a tricky task, it succeeded part of the time and other times, it didn't quite work for me. If the subject matter is new to you, it would help educate

Mask of the Deer Woman was a very quick and fast paced read, taking place over the span of a week, and speaks on generational trauma, loss, and most importantly missing and murdered indigenous women. I will be recommending this to people who are looking for new mysteries

Carrie Starr is at her last resort. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has sent her out to the reservation to work through cold cases. When the body of a college female is found her focus shifts and Carrie falls down a winding road. Her life hasn't been easy and being back on the reservation is making it harder. She must straighten up her act in order to bring the families of the missing answers. A ghostly spirit haunts Carrie, the deer woman can be helpful or harmful either way she must launch into action.

Carrie Starr is a hard character to like. She's reeling from a difficult loss and spiraling down a awful path. She's been sent to the rez, because of her choices. It's her last chance and she stumbles a lot along the way. The writing was a little slow and kind of dragged at points. The concept was interesting, but was lackluster. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I feel like the author really placed the reader in the shoes of Carrie Starr. I had so many emotions while reading this book, thrill, sadness, excited, and even anxiety about what would happen next. I will definitely be recommending this to my book club when it is released!

DNF - I was excited to read a story about Deer Woman; being a reader who is already very familiar with the legend itself, the further exploration into a more modern incorporation of Deer Woman sounded like a great plot. Unfortunately, the product as I received it was not what I would classify as a good book. It was neither well-written nor well-plotted. The story is jumbled, lacks cultural sensitivity & awareness, & it does not follow any semblance of an interesting plot. The main character is insanely annoying & therefore her rambles & self-hatred as well as overt dislike of Indigenous Peoples & communities was a bore & absolutely abismass to read about seeing as she never outgrows this....at her already ripe old adult age. This is not a book I would recommend, to anyone. There is a lot of editing that is required in this book to make it a story that flows; characters need more dimension to their person; the environment is cold & poorly situated; the cultural reality of the Indigenous characters is done in such a lazy way that one might forget that Indigenous People exist in plenitude & power today, in their own right & in their own ways. This was a massive disappointment of a book.

This a murder mystery that takes place on a reservation in Oklahoma. The detective has moved from Chicago after the death of her teenage daughter, and is working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the reservation her father grew up on. I like Carrie Starr because she has character flaws like she lives on Jameson and Cheetos. Her job is to investigate the missing person cold cases of teenage girls, and there is also ongoing cases that trigger a lot of bad memories for her. It’s a well written mystery with some Native American mysticism with the Deer Lady making appearances that are just enough to unnerve the unbeliever Carrie. There are subplots of land development and fracking plots going on in the local government much like the TV show Yellowstone.

Starr (Carrie Starr) is grieving the death of her daughter and the job she was fired from in Chicago. With nowhere to go, she is forced to move back to the reservation and act as a Marshall. She did not grow up there and she is unfamiliar with the people and it's a hard adjustment. Right away she is thrown in to a missing person's case and discovers that its connected to many, many missing persons.

This is a story you might know, with characters that you do not! Starr is incredible and following her through her grief and her transition to a Marshall was phenomenal! This is a story of connecting with your identity just as much as a mystery and Dove did not let us down..

Of course there is some magical realism - it's up to you to decide what the Deer Woman might mean.
A lovely story, a beautiful story, and inspiring story and a mystery to boot!
#berkley #maskofthedeerwoman #laurieldove

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book at the beginning. I didn't like the commentary going on in Starr's head and wondered why she even took the job if she was so unhappy. But it helped me learn more about her, her background and the multiple reasons why she took the job. It is a little heart-breaking how she wasn't accepted by either culture when she was desperate to belong somewhere so she could heal. Her comment that the missing indigenous women had been lost twice; 1st from life and 2nd from the media, is unfortunately too true. Her transformation from the cynical big-city cop to an empathetic tribal Marshall was almost painful to watch and yet so satisfying in the end. The story has a good steady pace until the climax with a little surprise twist. This is an enjoyable story, and I thank Net Galley and Penguin Books for the eArc for my honest opinion.

I must admit that there were times when I just wanted to shake Carrie Starr, but then I remembered what it was like almost losing my daughter when she was 17 (the same age as Quinn when she is murdered). And then I remember the guilt and the “if onlys” and the fact that everyone grieves differently and realize Carrie is just surviving the best she can.

I also liked knowing that Dove based some of this story around her own questions of what it would have been like to grow up on the rez instead of being raised by the Mennonite family that adopted her.

Too many indigenous women go missing or are found dead and most, if not all, reservations are woefully unequipped to deal with it. And governmental (and private) greed are still at work grabbing indigenous land and resources.

This book deals with all that. And well. Fortunately, Carrie, and Chenoa, have someone on their side—Deer Woman. Whether she is real or imagined is for you to decide.