The Red Canoe

By: Wayne Johnson

Narrated by: Milo Kingisher

One of the Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of 2022—Criminal Element

One of the Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2022—CrimeReads

Buck, government name Michael Fineday, Ojibwe name Miskwa’ doden (Red Deer), is on the brink of suicide. He has just been served divorce papers by his wife, Naomi, who is fed up with his savior complex and the danger it often attracts to their door. Living on the border of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community reservation, Buck makes a living as a boatbuilder and carpenter. He spends his days alone, trying to win the trust of a feral cat … until a semi-feral girl shows up, fascinated by the canoe Buck is building.

Lucy, Ojibwe name Gage’ bineh, (Everlasting Bird), lives in a trailer alone with her father, a local policeman struggling with PTSD which is compounded by the loss of Lucy’s mother. Just barely fifteen, she has lived with a lifetime of abuse, while knowing that if she ever spoke out, her father would bear the consequences.

Buck senses Lucy is in trouble and doesn’t hesitate to come to her defense. On the foundation of their shared Ojibwe heritage, they trace Lucy’s abuse to a ring that extends farther than either of them ever imagined, while building a bond even sturdier than Buck’s canoe.

©2022 Wayne Johnson (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Great characters, will look for more by this author

The characters were very real, so you want things to work out for them. Loved the descriptions of things, for example the scent and feel of the canoe’s wood as well as its appearance. The reader was good too. This includes difficult subject matter (rape) so it’s not a light hearted read but it’s good. Like The Color Purple is good but not light hearted.