Review: Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
A gripping mystery that illuminates the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).
Book Summary
One girl is missing; another is found murdered following the traditional Blackfeet giveaway to honor her. With the members of the giveaway being the last to see the murdered girl, Samantha, they immediately become suspects and all have something to hide in K.A. Cobell’s Looking for Smoke.
Mara is an outsider, having recently moved to the Blackfeet Reservation and who Samantha had tormented. Loren is the sister of the missing girl and former best friend of Samantha. Brody is the jokester of the group who has unrequited crushes on at least one of the girls.. And Eli may have had a secret history with both girls and definitely is hiding something from his friends.
With the tribal police and FBI no closer to finding the truth, it’s up to this group of teens to figure out who the killer is.
My Thoughts
K.A. Cobell’s debut novel is stunning and illuminates the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) within a suspenseful and surprising mystery. Cobell does a masterful job at being respectful of the seriousness of MMIW and keeping the plot moving, which is a difficult balance. I found the novel hard to put down and was entirely engrossed in the world of these teens.
I was also fortunate to hear Cobell speak at the National Book Festival and learn how her Blackfeet heritage influenced her book, particularly through Mara not always feeling Blackfeet enough. Knowing the personal touches of the author is a bonus and the reason why she wanted to bring this story to light (you can watch a video of the event here).
Highly recommend this book to YA readers, as well as adults. And to watch the panel with Cobell.
Book Information
Title: Looking for Smoke
Author: K.A. Cobell
Publisher: Heartdrum
Publish Date: June 4, 2024
Genre(s): mystery/thriller
Themes: death, friendship, loyalty, justice
Character Description: all main characters are indigenous Blackfeet
Trigger Warnings: violence
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