When Detective Monique Blue Hawk arrives on the scene at the Children's Museum of Science and History in Norman, Oklahoma, she quickly realizes that this is unlike any crime she's investigated before. One security guard has been brutally murdered, the other wounded but fortunately alive, and at the center of it all are the unrepatriated indigenous remains that the museum holds in its so-called "Room of Secrets." Parts of an old skeleton have been taken, but its strange deformities lead Monique to contacting her uncle, a powerful spiritual leader who informs her that she might be dealing with something beyond the ordinary...
November is Native Heritage Month, and it seemed the perfect time to pick up a book by an Indigenous author. I was planning to read more this month, but due to life circumstances, it sadly didn't work out that way for me. However, I think it's important to remember that we should be reading novels written by Indigenous authors all the time, not just during November! Many of the books I read are an exploration of cultures not my own, and so I'm going to make a conscious effort going forward to make sure and include more Native-authored books in my repertoire, as I actually haven't read many before!
At the foundation of this story is Choctaw tribal beliefs, interwoven into the fabric of a mystery-slash-horror story. It was fascinating to learn about so much Choctaw history, as well as their creation myths and their afterlife, and I think that anyone who reads this book will come away with a new understanding of the depth and complexity of their culture. It also enlightened me to issues that I had only tangentially been aware of before: museum displays of Native skeletal remains and sacred burial pieces, the pressing need to repatriate these back to their true homes with their tribes, as well as the bloody, painful history of the Removal Trails and how white people then and now continue to desecrate Native graves.
Monique was someone I immediately liked: tough and authoritative, but also kind and vulnerable when she needs to be. The rest of the cast was pleasant enough as well, though I found a lot of them falling into stereotypes and clichés. Although she is not the only character we follow throughout the story, she was by far the most interesting. Mihesuah's writing didn't quite click with me, which is one of the reasons that I ended up giving this three and a half stars rather than a full four. There were some lovely descriptions, but then slightly amateurish ways of introducing characters and scenes, and as a whole the writing felt somewhat flat and dry for me.
In all honesty, I think tighter editing would have helped this book to really shine. The horror aspects of the book were well-done, leaving one feeling deeply unsettled (in the best way), and the sections that take place in the hollow are disturbingly atmospheric. I must say that the primary reason I actually ended up lowering my rating for this book was due to the ending. It's funny -- even Monique says "that felt too easy." It was a lot of build-up for a scene that lasted only a chapter or so, and after all the horrible things we learn about those responsible for what's been going on, it was disappointing.
In the end, though, I think that this is a novel worth your time and attention. The historical aspects are particularly engaging, and learning about Choctaw culture was definitely enough to keep me interested until the very end. If you like horror mixed in with mystery and cultural exploration, you should give this one a shot!
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