First published 2023
In the gleaming art deco towers of Cahokia—a thriving Native American city-state where Indigenous culture never collapsed—detective Joe Barrow investigates a brutal murder at city hall. The victim is a white politician, killed with ritualistic precision that suggests something deeper than a simple crime. As racial tensions simmer and political factions circle, Barrow and his partner navigate a complex urban landscape where Indigenous sovereignty, jazz culture, and early 20th-century power dynamics collide. Each clue reveals more about the city's hidden networks and the killer's intricate motivations. With the investigation threatening to expose generations of secrets, Barrow must unravel a conspiracy that could destabilize Cahokia's delicate social architecture. Some murders are about more than just death—they're about the future of an entire civilization.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, detective, 21st-century, political-thriller, alternate-history
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy, found-family
Setting: Cahokia
Period: Early 20th Century
464 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: racism