A look at tribal politics and belonging, centered on a fraught election that results in rioting and discord.

Overall a very interesting debut! I found the story to meander a little too much for my liking and I think this hindered my enjoyed of the story. It was very well written but I couldn’t fully get into the story. I liked the writing and characters, and would want the story to be edited a little more to help with it being more concise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this ARC!

4 ⭐️ really enjoyed this political family story set in WI on tribal land. Mitch Caddo, an attorney, returns to serve with childhood friend Mack Beck when Mack is elected tribal leader of the Passage Rouge Nation. Things get tense when the opposition candidate, political activist, Gloria Hawkins takes the lead.

Written from the POV of Mitch, the story is intriguing and well written. I became absorbed in the political workings of the reservation and the corruption and backdoor dealings of the politicians, casino, police and so called friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

While I enjoyed the author's writing style I couldn't seem to get into the book. The main character continues to feel down on himself for everything and the storyline meanders too much to fully keep my attention.

A solid debut. I kept coming back to this story of politics, identity, and complex love. An "All the Kings Men" with more loveable, complex characters (or maybe I'm just older now and have more grace to give people...). Mitch, our protagonist, is the shadow & fixer for Chief Mack Beck, the love interest of Mack's estranged sister Layla, and the replacement son of Mack's estranged adoptive father, Joe. Lots of interconnectedness and complex relationships here. We catch this ensemble cast as they barrel toward the final days of Mack's re-election campaign, and things get really. REALLY messy on the Passage Rogue Reservation. The writing kept moving for me because I wanted to find out what disaster was around the next bend, because I KNEW something was always coming. As Mitch careens between the many big personalities on the reservation, themes of love, identity, power, colonialism, and self are explored in interesting ways. I do think it could be a little tighter overall, though - there is a lot going on (both in terms of action and psychologically) and I think some additional editing would tighten up novel and make it more impactful.

I'm somewhat new to Net Galley. so I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this kind of feedback, but my understanding is that the publisher does look at the feedback: I did find this digital ARC to have numerous typos/errors (more than I've seen before in other ARCs). The Beck family was often referred to as the "Plum" family. Gloria's daughter is named both "Iggy" and "Anna." In the scene at Gloria's house, her daughter is in two rooms at the same time. And lastly, at the end of the novel, when Mitch is recovering, there is some discrepancy with timing: Layla mentions talking about what happened between them yesterday, but Mitch has already said he hasn't spoken with her in two days.

I was so excited for this book, but I got distracted by life and lost track of the expiration date for this book. I am not able to download it again. I am looking forward to reading it and I will add a review as soon as I am able.

Mitch and Mack, young men trying to do the right thing, lead the Passage Rouge Nation in Wisconsin. But now they are up for re-election, and two weeks away from voting day it doesn’t look good. As they struggle to reach out to everyone, we learn not only who they are but also the people who might vote for them and those who definitely will not.

A very interesting story, Big Chief spotlights what it’s like to live on a small reservation whose casino is its income source. The nation has certain rights that allow it to govern without state or federal oversight. And just as state and federal governments sometimes have trouble coordinating with each other, adding the nation to the mix can get even more troublesome. With reservation politics just as painful as U.S. politics, it is a very hard place for idealism to have much sway.

Mitch is a great narrator. Through him and his musings we get a first-hand view of what is going on, and if it’s a bit murky, that’s probably because Mitch has his own problems and is trying to find his way.

The timeline is its own force in this story, and the election day climax is as dramatic as one could wish and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

Big Chief chronicles the life of a man who grapples with his identity and the political climate on the reservation. The novel questions loyalty, introducing a variety of characters whose motives share the same theme. The plot fell through for me because it felt convoluted as far as the sequence of events. However, I did enjoy the flashbacks of the past that gave you context on the characters. In terms of the characters, I did not feel a connection with them which is a reason that I did not rate it 4 stars. Overall, a good, slow burn.

“Big Chief” feels like a fever dream, and even after sitting with it for a few days, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. The story is intense-read against the backdrop of the fraught and chaotic US presidential election, it became imbued with an immediacy that it may have lacked during another time. The story itself is an old one-people who feel ignored and unwelcome in their community rising up against the current power base with momentum that will not be denied. The challenged reacting with violence-we do know that part of the story. The last half of this book thrums with the anger of the people from the Indian Nation who seek change, and the confusion and reactionary tendencies of the people in charge. This narrative wave is where the author really shines.
However, what doesn’t work for me about this book is the lack of character development. I could follow the “big picture” part of the story, yet I found myself confused many times about things various characters said or did. What drove them? What was the motivation? Sure, most people who have some sort of power are loath to give it up if the option to hang onto it presents itself. But how did they wind up in power in the first place? Why were Maureen and Mitch’s mom friends? How did Joe-a white man-wind up on the reservation? There were a lot of unanswered questions for me, and that detracted from my overall enjoyment.
This was a solid read. The structure was good and the writing was lyrical without getting bogged down with too many descriptors. If we could just get the characters more fleshed out, this would have been great. I’m curious to see what the next book from Jon Hickey will look like.

Too dark and gritty for me, but the lyrical style of the author was great. I'd happily check out other works by Hickey in a different genre.

I found this book profoundly frustrating - and perhaps that was the point. I thought the protagonist's continued "woe is me" outlook somewhat tedious. That said, there was enough of a storyline that kept me reading the book until the end. The author threw some excellent plot twists and without those twists, I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish the book.

I thought this book was interesting. I always like reading about cultures that are different from my own. I thought the POV was clever. The limited first person worked well with the plot. I found the main character difficult at times and that ultimately made the book trickier for me to get into, but I ended up enjoying the story and resolution. I would recommend this book - there is mystery and action and a little bit of everything. Now that I've read it once to get into the culture and setting, I look forward to reading it again to pick up on the details. I'm, by nature, a bit of an impatient reader.

First, thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I knew by the end of the first paragraph that I was in for a literary treat, and also that I would need to slow down my usual fast reading pace to really take in Hickey's verdant prose. He makes every word do its job. I loved it! Jon Hickey has already been added to my list of authors to read again.

In addition to the gorgeous prose, he tells an intriguing, although sometimes confusing, story. This one reflected our current world all too well at times-- political intrigue and dubious compromises made by good people for what they perceived at the time to be a good end... well, that's all too real and apparent now, isn't it?

Hickey's characters are well-developed and real to the point that I felt frustrated with them at times for not behaving as I'd hoped they might, but that's true to life, and in the end, while it may not be what we hoped for, there is hope for Mich's future. It was hard to connect to Mitch, who narrates the story, but I came to understand him and appreciate his position. It was interesting to get a peek into life on a reservation and all the complicated relationships with Tribal government, national, state and local authorities as well.

I will look for another book by this author. I have to say his wonderful prose probably made the next book I read a little less impressive. Hard to measure up to the standard he set!

Oh the tragedy. This isn’t the book I wanted to read. First thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC. The description was intriguing and I have read several historical Native American novels recently and very much enjoyed them. I gave the book a 3 and that was generous. He is recognized as a Native American so he writes with knowledge of the horrendous treatment that Native Americans received and continue to receive from the American government. Here the current president of the Passage Rouge Nation is running against his estranged sister to retain his office. Plenty of fraud and criminal activities from the people behind the candidates.

The book starts slow. So slow that a third of the way in I read the reviews on Goodreads, the author’s acknowledgment and the author’s background. Then I read the end. No surprise there. It’s full of no surprises. Sure, Mitch is looking for somewhere to belong, but it’s so forced. Mitch is in untenable situations from start to finish. Exactly how does he find fulfillment?

I did not finish the book. It was dreary, slow and full of literary stereotypes.

This book had so much potential with its themes of Native American politics, tribal pride, reuniting and defining family. There's love and conflict of loyalties and betrayal. It should've been great. But it was presented in a very meandering style with lots of flashbacks and side stories that detracted from an interesting main plot. I wish I liked it more.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was timely for sure and well written with interesting plt and characters. I think I enjoyed more than i thought looking back!

After I finished the first chapter, I put it down to go to bed thinking "this could be the book of the year, it's funny, insightful, hits the right notes." And then I read on.

That initial voice was lost. It's a really windy story which gets quite bogged down. I got a ARC from Netgalley. It doesn't come out till next spring, it would be nice if there was time in that for another edit. At it's root it's a really good story with a lot of soul but it gets so bogged down and the pacing is all off. If I had to read another description of the Big Chief... There needed one more edit to say focus less on the politics and main characters and more on the interactions with the tribe and others. The interactions with people outside the inner circle were so much more interesting. The Inner Circle was just all anger and alpha-male posturing. The thin threads he presents for friendship with them are weak.

I wanted to like the narrator but he didn't really show his real cards much. I still have no clue why he became a politico past a quick comment, what he felt about the tribe and his relation to it, and so many other things. When I was in my 20s, I was a politco and I get you think it's the right thing to do but get disillusioned but he ignored all those things.

They say for ARCs you don't comment on typos, but in two chapters in a row, someone walks in, sits down, says something, and then walks in again. There were other continuity errors like this throughout. The whole thing just needed another edit before going to ARCs. And the names! Sometimes the family is called the Becks, sometimes the Plums. If the Plums is a nickname, it was never explained. After awhile I shrugged and figured I missed something. There was much I missed- why was Mack so angry? Why was he raised by the Becks? Why was he what he was- I guess he needed more story to make him more than a big angry bull.

Hickey regains his voice at the end, the last chapter is almost magical. I just wish he hadn't lost his way in between.

Life is complicated, especially, when you are trying to find the place to call home, and then mix in politics, corruption, grief and family, it becomes very complicated. Jon Hickey's Big Chief, spans the days leading up to a tribal presidential election, while also providing the back story between the characters.

Mitch Caddo, a budding political fixer, is trying to get his candidate and long time friend Mack re-elected as tribal president. He is also dealing with the opposition candidate, tribal elders, corruption, former relationships, and most importantly the grief over his biological mother's death and the death of his mentor/father figure. It's a boiling pot on the verge of boiling over.

While it was a little confusing to figure out who everyone was and their relationship to each other, the characters, were very well written and developed. It was a very captivating story, and I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this ARC and opportunity to read and review.

Big Chief is a story that centers around Mitch, the right-hand-man/“fixer” of the Tribal President of Passage Rouge Nation, Mack. Mitch and Mack were childhood friends and Mitch has stood behind Mack’s shady practices for years. This story takes place in the week leading up to the next election, which is not in Mack’s favor. This book isn’t what I thought- I expected more of a political page-turner, but it’s really a literary character study of Mitch. While I enjoyed this book, the story arc felt lacking to me- I often didn’t have a sense of where the story was progressing. I think this book would have benefited from covering a longer time period, rather than just a week, so there could be more character development and more plot points. Overall though, I did enjoy this book and I’m glad I read it!

I really liked this book. The description of “The Night Watchmen” meets “There, There” grabbed my attention. I did confused about the character families the Plums and the Becks. It wasn’t until much later I realized the adoption and connection. Could probably use some better clarification if editing is still occurring. Anyways, I really liked the complexity of Mitch and his relationship with Joe and his mom. I would definitely recommend this and think it could do well.