Looking for Smoke

Wow. That is the feeling I have about Looking For Smoke. Firstly, a wow because this is K.A. Cobell’s debut novel. She did an awe-inspiring job of writing a mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the book’s end. She did an incredible job presenting the Blackfeet culture to readers who likely know little about it. The book dynamically depicts their culture – the beautiful ceremonies that are so significant for the Blackfeet, the immediacy and fidelity of their kinship, and the bleak lack of hopefulness about their future. And her characterization! A huge wow. The characters became well-known and understood, and I felt great compassion for each. She was also phenomenal at bringing a critical issue to light; it is so often show more ignored. The underlying theme of the novel is the horrifying number of Indigenous women and girls who go missing or are murdered each year. Eighty-four percent of Native women have experienced violence. The murder rate of Native women is three times that of white women. The MMIW, or Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, is attempting to draw attention to these shocking statistics. The issue is something everyone should investigate; even young people should be aware of the problem. This is a breathtaking debut novel; its message is not just for young people. Thank you to Harper Collins for creating Heartdrum, an imprint for Native American writers, and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. show less

Excellent, edgy, and highlighting a terrible reality in North America. It's a must read for anyone who liked The Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unleashed. This time, we're introduced to a group of teens who are members of the Blackfeet Nation in rural Montana. Mara and her parents have moved there after she was bullied at her previous school and her dad reacted in a manner that cost him his job. She doesn't feel like she fits in here either since her mom is white and the other kids are very close knit. Then the girl who seems to dislike her the most is murdered at a powwow, shocking everyone and resurrecting another girl who went missing months earlier.
The two events force the teens to work together, even though there are show more frequent prickly moments and lots of distrust. Even so, they persevere until most of those suspected are cleared, leaving an unthinkable situation that ends with an act of justice no cop would ever ignore. It pulls readers into the world these teens share, as well as opening their eyes and raising their awareness to the largely ignored reality of MMIW-Missing and murdered Indigenous Women. show less

I put this one down pretty fast, and I think one of the main reasons being for how much it was compared to Firekeeper's Daughter. Like I don't think these books could be any more different. For starters, it was way too much of a slow burn. I get that you're making a point of when Native American girls go missing or get murdered, no one official really does anything about it, but seeing that this is more of a murder mystery novel, the characters shouldn't spend like half the book grieving before cracking down on solving the mystery for themselves. Take a chapter or two, and get started, please and thank you. Also, there were literally like 15 dudes and they were all the EXACT SAME CHARACTER. Eli First Kill was so hot though, but really show more not that much different from the other guys. I probably would've enjoyed this book more if I hadn't just read Angeline Boulley's new book, but I'm glad others are able to enjoy it, as it does still carry a lot of good points. show less

Loren is reeling after the death of her grandfather, the disappearance of her sister, and then when her best friend is found strangled it sends her spiraling and wondering. Mara is new to the rez and is shocked to find herself in the Blackfeet giveaway honored by Loren with a blanket. She's hopeful that she'll make some friends, instead she soon finds herself working to solve the murder and disappearances. Eli First Kill and Brody Clark are involved too. There are twists and turns. Intermittently are podcasts that talk about the cases and educate about MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People). I did a combo of reading the text and listening.

I received an early copy from Follett; this book will release in June of 2024.

Mara moves to a Blackfeet community after her family had an incident in their former city, only to find themselves dealing with missing indigenous teenage girls. No one treats her well; the students tell her she doesn't belong. Afterall, they've all grown up together on the Blackfeet reservation. One Blackfeet citizen--a teenage girl--is missing. To honor her sister, Loren includes Mara in the traditional giveaway, which surprises Mara. Loren says that she feels badly for the way Mara has been treated; her sister told her they should be nicer to Mara. On this same night, Samantha, another Blackfeet girl, is found murdered. Now, everyone involved is a suspect. show more The tribal police and a federal agent are on the case, but the teens want to find the truth because missing tribal women are rarely found and the kidnappers/murderers usually get away with the crime.

There's a small group of people who are suspects. No one knows much about Mara or her family, but they were at the giveaway and are, therefore, suspects. Eli First Kill possesses many secrets, cutting most people off from his life. The most important person in his life is his little sister, whom he babysits or takes care of 24/7. Brody and Jason are brothers whose father left them a dying business and a mother who has little to do with them. Jason returned home to take care of Brody, as his mother spends her time with her new family.

Loren finds she can talk to Mara and discuss the suspects, wondering who she has grown up with and is friends with--could actually murder someone. She worries her sister is also dead. Two girls investigating a murder can be dangerous, as Native American women disappear at alarming rates. Mara finds herself drawn to Eli, but his secrets and rudeness make him hard to draw out.

It took me a while to read the book because I was reading in bed at night and had to stop to go to sleep. I always wanted to keep reading. I know it's an interesting book if I want to keep reading. Sometimes a book lives with you and you can't think about anything else and you only want to read. This book wasn't that emotion. I could pick it up a couple of days later with no problem, and I didn't find myself obsessed or thinking about it. I liked it very much and, like I said, always wanted to keep reading. I didn't want to stop. I don't think the title is a good title for the book--it's forced, as is all of the diction referencing smoke. Overall, it's a good book and a solid murder mystery with a bit of a surprise at the end. show less

Well written murder mystery bringing attention to missing and murdered indigenous women. It was somewhat confusing to keep track of the many changes and characters, and left a couple of questions open at the end, but still a great first book.

Did Not Finish--13 percent.

I was just lost from the very beginning. The book jumps around too much and then we start reading about an episode (podcast) around the 13 percent mark and I just gave up. I don't know what is happening to who or why, but I think if Cobell had just stayed with one main character I could have gotten into this much faster. It was too hard to figure out who is doing what to whom.

"Looking for Smoke" follows four teens who are central to a murdered girl that is found on a reservation. We start off following a teen named Mara and from there it shifts to the other teens, Brody, Loren, and someone named Eli and then unknown.

As I said, there was way too much happening for me to focus on. I think the teens, with the show more dates and times included and then the podcast or whatever episode we are getting was way too much. I didn't get to settle into the story at all. show less