With a suspenseful plot shrouded in secrecy and a unique Cherokee protagonist, there is a lot to love about BLOOD SISTERS. Syd Walker leaves her career as an archeologist to return home to Oklahoma after her sister disappears and stirs up questions about cold cases of missing indigenous women.

I thought this was a timely and compelling story and I especially enjoyed the ending.
It went off the rails in a great way that I found surprising yet plausible. I also appreciated the way the author wove politics, indigenous culture and history together and found it so enlightening. This is more than just a thriller; I wasn’t expecting to learn as much as I did. Add BLOOD SISTERS to your winter TBR, it’s out now!

RATING: ⅘ ⭐️

#bloodsisters #vanessalillie

Many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read/listen to a lot of true crime. A few podcasts have devoted at least an episode a month about missing and murdered indigenous women. There are so many unsolved cases that it is almost incomprehensible. So, I was interested in Blood Sisters because it features this crime. The story is fictional, but it focuses on the desire to solve these crimes and bring the women home. The main character is an indigenous woman and an archaeologist. She is forced to return to Oklahoma for her work and face her past. Now, one of the missing women is her sister.

Syd is a well written character with a complex story. She isn't always likable or comprehensible, but I think that is appropriate given who she is. The mystery is interesting as well. What really makes the story memorable is all the details about the culture of the indigenous people. While the story is fiction, some of the truth is mentioned in discussing the missing women. The story itself seemed slow and it was a bit difficult to stick with at times, but it is a beautifully written story.

**Many thanks to Catherine Barra at Berkley and Vanessa Lillie for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

Syd Walker works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and her work is nothing short of vital to her community: as an archaeologist, she strives to help uncover the mysteries hiding in the buried bones she discovers. Indigenous women are one of the most likely subsets of people to go missing and/or be murdered with little recourse, and although Syd lives in Rhode Island now, her hometown in Oklahoma is near and dear to her heart. When a skull turns up at the site of Syd's sister Emma Lou's disappearance, it feels like Oklahoma is TRULY calling her back to solve the case once and for all.

When Syd returns, however, she falls back in with some of the people from her past...and starts to slowly discover connections she never knew existed. The seedy drug scene has taken over the town of Picher, and Syd is shocked to learn some of the people who have been lured in and she feels an even stronger urge to get to the bottom of the long string of disappearances over time. With tension bubbling at the surface, Syd tries to balance her strained (and now long distance) relationship with wife Mal AND her detective work...all while "Ghost Luna" keeps coming to visit...and Syd can't get the voice out of her head. Can Syd crack the decades-long code and find the missing girls...or was her whole trip back a carefully plotted attempt to take her "off of the case"....permanently?

Vanessa Lillie is a new to me author, but one I've been wanting to try, and I was intrigued by this book's premise and the promise of important Native American rep in the thriller space. I tried to get on board with Syd from early on: we were told about her first digging discovery and although it felt a bit outside the margins from what I normally read, I was determined to stay invested and follow her on her journey back to her hometown. Unfortunately, once we got there (and were done hearing about Syd's wife and their martial woes FAR more than was necessary) I found most of the characters in the Oklahoma setting to be not only unlikable, but more along the lines of stereotype than I would prefer to read, and therefore found it hard to be engaged in their conversations with Syd and all of the ensuing drama.

Ghost Luna is also a looming and repetitive presence in this book; so much so that frankly I was tired of hearing from her. Perhaps I'm just a bit burned out on the trope as of late, but without explanation or true emotional impact (we have to wait to hear full backstory for Luna until much later in the book) she seemed more like a nuisance than a necessary part of the plot. She doesn't really disappear until the end of the book, but I had lost interest in the overall mystery long before we reached the conclusion, and this sadly became one of those books that felt far more forgettable than it should have been.

Another issue I had is that in some ways this book was reminiscent of a book I LOVED (although it too was a bit of a slow burn): Chevy Stevens' Dark Roads. Both stories deal with missing Native girls and a sister returning to her home to try to find out what happened to her murdered sister. Although the overall tone and the plots of these stories varied dramatically, Stevens writing was so engaging, visceral, and spooky...everything I hoped to find in these pages but was sorely lacking in my reading experience. Both authors have brought long overdue attention to a grassroots movement known as MMIWG2S – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit and have sought to amplify this injustice, and for THAT, I'm grateful.

My only wish in regards to the content of this story was that it had matched the intensity of the MMIWG2S movement itself...and that like any grassroots movement, through determination and education, this book can be one more voice rising above the violence until the rallying cry becomes a reality: "No More Stolen Sisters."

3.5 stars

Wow! I absolutely loved Blood Sisters, one of the best crime fiction books I’ve read all year. Whenever I thought I solved the crime, Lillie shocked me with another twist. Regarding the audiobook, both narrators added tension and suspense, so I recommend both formats to any crime fiction lover.

But, the story’s most significant impact lies in the social commentary regarding Indigenous communities. Lillie’s visceral storytelling exposes how white people affected Indigenous people in horrific ways: drugs, gambling, stealing land, stealing women, and washing away Native identities. Lillie also highlights the unspeakable (literally and metaphorically) plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit. Even though Lillie articulately exposes these atrocities, she equally honors the Cherokee people, history, and legends. I found the Agilvgi chapters (sister in Cherokee) hauntingly beautiful, offering the right amount of suspense to the crime story.

November is recognized as National Native American Heritage Month. Support indigenous writers! Go buy Blood Sisters today!

It’s evident that author, Vanessa Lillie poured her heart and soul into writing her latest novel, Blood Sisters. Yes, this novel is mysterious, suspenseful, and has some major thriller vibes, but the main focus is on the thousands of missing Indigenous women across the country. In the author’s note, Lillie states: “There’s a lot of truth in this fiction.” The extensive research, interviews, and personal touches from her past experiences all speak loud and clear on how important this topic is to Lillie. Snippets of Indigenous culture, history, and political issues are weaved in all throughout, which is extremely eye-opening. Labeling this novel as just a mystery or thriller almost provides a disservice because it is SO much more than that. It downplays the importance of the subject matter, and the enlightenment that the reader will receive after reading it. And I gotta say—the ending was phenomenal. There’s been SO many times when a thriller is solid for the first three quarters, and then tanks with a weak ending. That is definitely NOT the case with Blood Sisters. I was biting my fingernails, and sitting on the edge of my seat from all of the intensity, suspense, and shocking twists thrown my way. And the best part? Everything was tied up wonderfully. Nothing was left unanswered or unfinished. I was very impressed. If you enjoyed Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens, then be sure to check this one out as well. Blood Sisters is out NOW, and I give it 4.5/5 stars! Highly recommend!

This book was so good! I loved reading about a place about 2 hours away. I grew up in Oklahoma and have lived near the Arkansas/Oklahoma border for more than 20 years. This book shows just a few of the struggles that Native Americans have faced. They are many things in this book that are based on actual events. The author was able to weave those events into the story and make it believable. There were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming! So that was refreshing. This book picked up speed around 30% in and I didn’t want to put it down. I switched off between both the audio and ebook. I feel as though the narrator for the audiobook really brought the story to life.

This was a tough book to get through, with its relentless brutality, and the equally brutal historic swindling of American Indigenous people. And I loved it all the more for the stories it tells. Vanessa Lillie writes beautifully about hard lives, corporate greed, and (always) family. Didn’t see the twist coming.
Crime novels are a good way ( for me, at least ) to increase my knowledge of indigenous history as well as current social issues. Blood Sisters does this wonderfully!

Blood Sisters is a compelling mystery that follows Syd, a Cherokee archaeologist, who is haunted by her past and has vowed never to return to Oklahoma. When a skull is found in her hometown, she is forced to return and face the events 15 years prior.

I cannot describe how pleasantly surprised I was with Blood Sisters. Not only was the plot complex, twisty, and full of surprises, the story is one of the best written mysteries or thrillers I have read. Lillie’s descriptions immersed me in 2008 Oklahoma without easing the pace. In fact, there were numerous times while reading Blood Sisters that I forgot where I really was. In addition to being immersive, the story is fast-paced and enthralling. My one criticism is I wanted more closer regarding Syd and her wife’s relationship. I am hoping that we will see Syd soon, and this will be resolved in a second book.

The characters in Blood Sisters are well-developed, particularly for a mystery/thriller book. I came to really know Syd and her sister and understand their motivations. I just wished that all of the characters were equally fleshed out. Regardless, I appreciated the strength and determination of the main characters and reveled in reading about unassailable women fighting for their communities and justice.

I loved Blood Sisters’ themes of sisterhood, family, community, and connection to the land. Lillie succeeds in crafting an enjoyable, engrossing mystery with depth while also discussing important issues facing Indigenous Americans. She manages to do all this without the story feeling preachy or heavy-handed. If you are not a fan of nonfiction but want to learn more about Native Americans’ lived experience in the U.S., Blood Sisters is a great introduction to a number of topics like missing and murdered Indigenous woman, girls, and two spirit; land rights; tribal government; and even NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items.

Overall, Blood Sisters is a captivating novel that will be one of my 2023 favorite books. So, I was super excited to discover that Blood Sisters is the first novel in a new mystery series focusing on MMIWG2S. Now, go read this book!

Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from its publisher, Berkley. Regardless, I always provide a fair and honest review.

As an avid reader, it's always exciting for me to discover books that stimulate and challenge me while also enlightening me on social issues. Extra points to an author who tackles a subject rooted in history and yet one that's still prevalent in today's world, rendering it in such a manner as to be highly entertaining at the same time as educational. Without Lillie's skill and mesmerizing prose, BLOOD SISTERS might have been one long sermon on the injustices suffered by Native Americans. However, with brilliant plotting, intriguing characterizations and a lot of heart, Lillie skillfully entices readers with a fantastic, heart stopping mystery while also highlighting the gross indignities and mistreatment suffered by a group of Indigenous people. Carve out enough time to read this one straight through as there's no way to put it down once you begin.

Vanessa Lillie's BLOOD SISTERS is an intense, eye opening, highly emotional suspense thriller delivered via the voice of Syd Walker, an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island. Her mission is to preserve Cherokee history, culture and land rights while identifying skeletal remains of victims of violence and returning them home to their people. Syd is disturbed when she receives a request to return to the town of Pincher, Oklahoma - a place she fled fifteen years prior following an attack that left her best friend dead and her sister Emma Lou damaged in a way that left her permanently scarred and floundering in a world of drugs and bad decisions. Syd’s haunted by her troubled past, but the discovery of a skull with Syd's old I.D. card lodged in its mouth makes it impossible for her to refuse the case. Leaving behind her wife who's just announced her pregnancy, Syd heads back to her small hometown with the ghost of her best friend Luna riding shotgun in her mind, stirring up old disturbing memories. A number of Indigenous women have gone missing in the area and upon arriving home, Syd learns her sister Emma is among them. As Syd starts investigating, it's soon clear she's rattling skeletons that are making people in power extremely nervous. Once again, decisions are forced upon her people without proper restitution, but this time Syd won't walk away until she gets justice for both the dead and the living. If they don't kill her first.

BLOOD SISTERS focuses on one native woman's efforts to find the missing and return them home - whether dead or alive. The plot line is intricately woven, unfolding at a steadily rising, tension ladened pace through vivid prose that transports readers to the dark, desolate countryside alongside Syd while charging all with solving the mysterious disappearances while exposing the secrets held within the raped land before time runs out. The author's utilization of a ghost's voice in Syd's head to deliver the story is genius, setting an eerie, spooky tone while leading readers to speculate if the person is a ghost or Syd is hallucinating. It's clear Syd is in a precarious state of mind and holding on by a thread as she battles both inner and outer demons determined to take her down, all of which adds to the dark, malevolent atmosphere of this riveting thriller. I love that just when you think you have it all figured out, the shocking climax knocks you off your feet.

Vanessa Lillie has rendered a story rich in the history of Native Americans, spotlighting their continued struggles with drug and environmental issues, forced abandonment of their homes and land without restitution and the suspicious disappearance of Indigenous women for whom no one seems to be searching. Indications are this is the first in a series of books to come featuring Syd - an Indigenous, lesbian woman - as the lead character which is exciting, albeit a rare occurrence in the book world. Through Lillie's brilliant, descriptive writing, Syd comes across as a spirited, yet vulnerable character with strong ethics battling her own demons - one who readers will have no problem respecting and/or feeling empathy for. BLOOD SISTERS is a dynamic, engrossing, heart touching suspense thriller that's highly addictive as well as eye-opening, and it's clear it comes straight from the heart of the author. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers as well as readers who enjoy beautifully written stories with a spotlight on critical issues and injustices rooted in history that have existed over the years.

The main character got on my nerves with her questionable decision making but then it hit me that she was leading with her heart and not her head when it came to finding her missing sister. So once I came to that realization I was able to stop judging and cheer for the main character! The story had a lot of twists and turns I didn't expect and the authors note on finding Indigenous women is SO important.

This is a story about a Cherokee archaeologist who works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is assigned to a case back in her hometown in Oklahoma and involves family members and neighbors. Syd hasn’t been back to her hometown since she left after all she dealt with, and is now trying to make a life with her partner, Mal. Syd gets the call that her sister, Emma Lou has gone missing, so Syd lives Mal behind and goes back to face a fifteen year old tragedy she’s done her best to put behind her.
There’s a lot of history of indigenous oppression and the strong characters who are a part of that history. It is a complex legacy in which even the BIA saw fit to exploit Native land when they were supposed to be protecting it. Syd has been working her whole career to fight for the many injustices agains voiceless Native American women. But as she digs into the case, literally and figuratively, the deeper she reveals the damages go. She has to find her sister, but also set right the long buried truths in this little Oklahoma town.
This was a subject that I didn’t know a lot about going in, and definitely learned about from the story, which goes along with the story suggestion that these women’s plights often go unnoticed. It was an interesting read, and though at times it did drag a little, it was definitely worth reading.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

While I enjoyed the compelling mystery of the disappearing indigenous women, I did find the the information about how white people took advantage of the Natives throughout history to be too repetitive. There was a really good reveal about that early on in the story, and that is probably all that the reader needed to know. Repeating it in almost identical wordage just seemed like the author was focusing too much on an agenda.

I was drawn into the story because Syd, a Cherokee archaeologist for the bureau of Indian affairs, was called back to her home in Aurora, Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women one of whom was her sister. That family and home connection appealed to me, as did one very tough woman.

During her investigation, Syd discovers lots of secrets that have been buried for many years, and she comes to terms with a trauma from her childhood that was most horrifying. No wonder she had nightmares for years..

From the standpoint of being a suspenseful thriller this book is a terrific read, and I recommend it to those who, like me, enjoy a complicated story, a surprising resolution, and characters who are as real as your next-door neighbor.

An important, intense thriller that pulled at my heart strings. Such an important voice in the thriller space.

This is not an easy book to read: both because of the serious subject matter and the multiple plot threads that distract from the core story. Worth a read because we need more lights on the serious topic of violence against Indigenous Women.

This is a new to me author, and what a book! Part thriller/part mystery/part education on social injustice pertaining to indigenous women.

Syd is a Cherokee woman and works as an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island.

She is assigned to a case in Oklahoma - home - where she has to confront her own past in addition to the case.

There is a skull found near the location Syd escaped from 15 or so years ago. Syd also learns her sister is missing. She is determined to find her sister and solve the crime surrounding the skull.

This book was pretty intense and very insightful for me as far as indigenous women and their struggles. Besides the mystery aspect, it dealt a lot with family and those bonds.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A full throttle thriller that packs a series punch. Syd Walker is called home to investigate a cold case that has ties to her own traumatic past. Her sister is also missing. Could this be part of the mystery?
I really enjoyed Blood Sisters. Not only a great thriller of a novel, but the Native American representation is what really drew me in. Vanessa Lillie ties in the epidemic of the missing and murdered indigenous people crisis in a compassionate but informative manner that aligns with the plot flawlessly. I read that Blood Sisters is the start of a series that puts the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit movement front and center of the story. I must say I'm definitely looking forward to reading more.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Berkley and PRH audio, thank you for a book that so thoughtfully honors Indigenous voices and stories of identity, family, land, and also victimization and women's bodies. I want to note that the audiobook is thoughtfully narrated by Indigenous women and that made the book resonate with me more deeply.

I love the start of a what feels like a new series, strong and complicated, layered characters, intelligent plots that weave in the past and present, and an attention to detail that makes for a fully engaged read. Blood Sisters does this, leading the reader into Syd (main character's) work as an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and brings her into a mystery of missing women, including her sister's disappearance, and back to her hometown... where there are clearly secrets to be uncovered but at a possibly great cost to Syd and her family.

I was so excited to be invited to read an ARC of Blood Sisters. This book is the start of a series by Vanessa Lillie, an indigenous author. The series will focus on MMIWG2S, which stands for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit. This subject is not mentioned enough, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it through Lillie's books.

Blood Sisters was a great thriller. First of all, Syd. She was such a great main character. She was strong and independent, and I enjoyed reading her thoughts about family as well. I loved how determined she was to bring justice to the girls who keep going missing on native land. Not just to find her sister, but to bring peace to other families as well.

The thriller story itself was so well written. Message aside, I couldn't wait to put it all together and discover what happened to the girls. It's heartbreaking to read a really good thriller like this and know it's based on real life.

I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series and learning more about this topic. Thanks to Vanessa Lillie for finally writing the type of thriller I've been looking for!

Blood Sisters is a compelling thriller and stands out from a lot of other books I’ve read. Syd is a Cherokee archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and at the start of the book is asked to return to her hometown in Oklahoma to investigate a skull that was discovered. Leaving behind her pregnant wife Mal, Syd makes the journey across the country and into her own past.

I was most drawn to the story due to this paragraph in an email from the publisher:
“Vanessa Lillie is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and at its heart Blood Sisters is the story of missing girls and women. When Lillie was a senior in high school, two local Oklahoma girls went missing and for more than twenty years she has watched the family search. While the crime in the opening pages and at the center of this novel is not the same as what happened to those girls, Lillie says ‘my emotions, my observations, and my own anger, is within these pages. These feelings are also connected to the larger conversation about the high rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit.’”

Unfortunately, some of the actual execution of the plot was a bit of a miss for me. I would definitely be interested to read another if this ends up being the start of a series about Syd.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the free ebook. I also purchased the audiobook.