Hearts of the Missing is a murder mystery set on Native American lands. A Pueblo police detective must find who is killing Fire-Sky tribe members. It's a compelling story with a unique perspective. The story gives a look at Native American culture, and I don't read many stories about this. The story is engaging, but the pacing is off. I was confused at times. The main character is likeable and intelligent. It's an overall good read but not fantastic. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Taut amalgam of Native American culture, current landscape of their society now and a crackling good mystery. Winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize 2017 for best debut mystery set in the Southwest, this book will educate you on Fire-Sky Native Americans while keeping you up late with your heart in your throat. Meet Nicky Matthews Pueblo Police Sergeant who has earned the respect of the community, but runs afoul of her police captain. Let's just hope she will be back to thrill is again soon.

Highly recommended!

4.5 of 5 stars
I certainly felt transported by the setting, a fictional Indian reservation in New Mexico, for HEARTS OF THE MISSING by Carol Potenza. Sergeant Nicky Matthews of the Tsiba’ashi D’yini (Fire-Sky Pueblo) reservation police deals with a misogynistic boss and undercover FBI activity while trying to solve the murder of Sandra Deering, an undergraduate who was investigating "lost" members of the tribe. Nicky obviously cares about the people she has sworn to protect and has gradually overcome biases on the reservation against outsiders while also trying to understand more about her own disconcerting visions of the Wind Mother. There is quite a bit for readers to process in this fast moving story, including a potential serial killer, tribal customs and ritual sacrifice, but it is an engrossing read worth the effort.

This debut mystery won the Tony Hillerman Prize for Potenza, an assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry at New Mexico State University. I am looking forward to more in this series; HEARTS OF THE MISSING received starred reviews from both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

This is an award winning debut novel by a biochemistry professor featuring a mystery set on an Indian reservation. The main character, Nicky Matthews, had intended to be an attorney but her life and career plans got sidelined when she had a disastrous affair with the head of the state police. So, she ended up as a cop on the reservation, a job which she loved.

Nicky is asked to further investigate some unexplained deaths and disappearances which have been officially written off as suicides. Nicky is an interesting character and the author's narrative voice and respect for the Native American culture are strong.

Unfortunately, I found the plotting to be elaborate and confusing. Lots of characters, several different threads, and of course, multiple law enforcement agencies are involved. The climactic last scene was completely over the top. Throw in some occasional supernatural activity and an overabundance of scientific detail and things get pretty messy.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you enjoy mysteries set in the Southwest and involving Native American culture and intricacies then you will certainly like this story. An interesting main character with a strong belief in right and wrong is determined to do whatever it takes to bring an organ harvesting killer to justice. Will she make it in time?

Enjoy!

I love it when I have the opportunity to visit or revisit an area through a book, and that is what  Hearts of the Missing by Carol Potenza offered. The story takes place on the Pueblo of the Fire-Sky Native Americans  and is a rich combination of themes woven together in a way that leaves you hoping there will be more books featuring these people and this beautiful setting. The novel combines multiple elements, weaving them in and out to create a beautiful tapestry.

There is Nicky, the federal law enforcement officer who takes her oath to protect and serve to heart. For her, it’s as simple as that. The people on the fire-sky pueblo are her responsibility and she must protect them, even if it means going against orders, even if it means putting herself at great risk, even if it means revisiting elements of her own past that are better left in her past. This isn’t easy to accomplish when she is the only woman in a male dominated field, resented by some, hated by others. It’s hard to find and know for sure who exactly has her back.

There is the spirituality of the Fire-Sky people. Their belief that unless a body can be buried in its entirety, the soul will wander, lost, for eternity. Combine that with the spirits who guide the people and make themselves visible to Nicky, add white rabbits to lead the way. The character who knows the most about how these spirits interact is Howard, an alcoholic whose efforts to contact Nicky and tell her what he knows are both courageous and confusing.

Then there are the remaining characters of the novel. There are the men who make up Nicky’s police unit, including those who resent Nicky, especially her Captain, who would like to see her fired and removed from the pueblo. There are other law enforcement officers, some good, some not, and the reader has to figure out, along with Nicky, who is on the side of good and who is truly on the side of evil. Potenza does an excellent job of leading you one way, only to shift and cause you to wonder if you’ve been wrong all this time, then shift again.

Then there is the beautiful setting of the state of New Mexico providing it’s breathtaking wide open spaces. If the reader has spent any time in the west, the writing will evoke memories of Native American territory; the beauty of it, the poverty of it, the evidence of a different culture and lifestyle than the Europeans who settled across the United States. If the reader hasn’t spent time in the area, the novel may spark a compelling desire to see it for themselves and experience a foreign land that exists within their own country.

As for writing style and pacing, Potenza has done a superb job. The novel moves at a steady pace, one that calls the reader back if they have been forced to put it down for any reason. It is a book that most readers will want to read if not in one sitting at least in large parts at a time. At the same time, if circumstances require it, the reader can read a few pages here and there, in between accomplishing whatever has called them away from their reading.

This was a thoroughly satisfying read, with Potenza crafting a novel that is successful on a number of levels. The mystery is altogether satisfying, with good clues and red herrings that allow the reader to work through to the solution along with Nicky. The characters morphing from good to bad and then back again in some cases, was well done. Descriptions of the spiritualism and beliefs of the Fire-Sky people allowed a view into a culture and belief system that, for some, will be totally different from anything they have ever known. In short, it is a complex novel that provides the reader with multiple paths to involvement in the story, and I highly recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing me an advanced digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

As a long time fan of Tony Hillerman, I decided to take a chance on new author Carol Potenza, who won the 2017 Tony Hillerman prize. Nicky Matthews is a Sergeant in the Pueblo police. For some reason, I never thought there would be non-Indians on a reservation police force. But there she is. And despite being an outsider, she is the one that the Wind Mother chooses to visit.

I enjoyed this immensely. Nicky has a lot of baggage, including an ex-lover trying for a comeback and a boss that hates her. But she also has good friends that provide a strong support system and a good head on her shoulders. There’s a possible love interest. The plot kept me involved and made me want to keep turning the pages. There’s a serial killer on the loose not to mention a possible conspiracy. Loved the ending, even if it was unbelievable, and how it all came together.

This is a well thought out book, with a strong dose each of science, myth and history. To be honest, I found it better than a lot of the Tony Hillerman books. I am hoping this is the start of a new series.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc.

A complex and very convoluted plot. The pacing wasn't very smoothly done, but in my mind forgivable as this is the author's debut book. Further confusion was the addition of a number of characters with inadequate "introduction".... details of their backstories were not provided until 50 plus pages later, making them feel more like plot contrivances than real characters. I found the main character Nicky a little unrealistic (too much emotion and not enough good sense for her "job") and felt like she was also part of the problem. Overall though, this was a compelling read. The atmosphere and creepiness were just right for me.

Excellent debut, could not put down. Hope there is more in the series, excellent heroine and hero so will be looking forward to the next book.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

Hearts of the Missing is a police procedural story that isn't able to find the right flow making the story feel jerky and a little too messy. The story throws readers right in with very little back story that could cause readers to becomes lost at times with who does what and why. The characters at times lack focus for being police which makes the story once again a little too stop and go feeling.

While the story its selves is interesting giving readers a in-depth look at fire-Sky customs as was as Native Americans traditions it gets lost in the stories inability to flow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Minotaur Books for the advance copy of Carol Potenza Hearts of the Missing.

This is the first read by this author and I am a definite fan! The characters are complex and intriguing. The mystery is full of surprises. The entire book, plot, characters, setting, draw the reader in and make you invested. I hope we see more of these characters in future books. A must read!

This Native American murder mystery had me hooked, not just because of the mystery, but because of the story of the Native American tribes and their customs. Nicky Mathews is a Pueblo Police detective tasked with piecing together the deaths of Fire-Sky tribe members. Someone appears to be doing a type of genetic “cleansing” that will not even allow the souls of the murdered find peace. Fans of Nevada Barr and Tony Hillerman will love this story