James and Ashley interview David Heska Wanbli Weiden about his multi-award-winning debut novel 'Winter Counts.' In it, they discuss the shocking American laws that let crimes on Native American Reservations go unpunished, the importance of food in cultural reclamation, and the marvel of Carhenge.

Learn more about David on his website, and buy a copy of Winter Counts from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

'Winter Counts' is a contemporary thriller about Virgil Wounded Horse, a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Through it, Weiden reveals the profoundly broken criminal justice system on American reservations. 

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation and the author of Winter Counts. His debut novel, Winter Counts was the winner of the 2021 Thriller Award for Best First Novel, the Spur Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Best First Novel, the Barry Award for Best First Novel, the Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, and the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing. He lives in Colorado.

Books and authors discussed in this episode: 

• Jim Thompson, US noir author;
• Don Becker, Denver comedian;
• Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby;
• These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall;
• They Can't Take Your Name by Robert Justice;
• The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville;
• The Shadow House by Anna Downes (our guest from episode 5);
• The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright;
• Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk 

Get in touch!

• Ashley's website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson