Now that summer is winding down, it's time to pass that beach book along to a friend and pick up something with more substance. If you’re eyeing something more informative, thrilling, and poignant, then “Winter Counts” needs to be added to your “must-read” list ASAP.

Here is a brief summary of the award-winning book. 

“Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil’s own nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and make them stop.

They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances.  And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the 21st century comes at an incredible cost.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is the Lakota author of “Winter Counts,” which was published in 2020, has won many awards for his work. 

These include:

• Winner of the Barry Award for Best First Novel
• Winner of the Thriller Award for Best First Novel
• Winner of the Spur Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Best First Novel
• Winner of the Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel
• Winner of the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing

“Winter Counts” was also rated as the best book of 2020 by the following: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, NPR, Amazon, Sun-Sentinel, BOLO Books, Deadly Pleasures, CrimeReads, LitReactor, The Buzz, SheReads, Tribal College Journal, Air Mail, MysteryPeople, Goodreads