The Case of the Missing Blackfeet Women

by Anaïs Renevier, Laurie Bennett (Translator)

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Native Americans have been through some incredibly difficult times that I never learned about in school. This book features recent cases of Native women going missing, murdered, or other mysterious causes of death. While some parts of the book seemed a bit repetitive, overall it tells an important story of what's happening and how law enforcement doesn't take there cases nearly serious enough.

[Claire Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

MMIW is a broad subject - I've read several other books about it. I felt this book only scratched the surface and could have been deeper. I would recommend Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid, Unbroken by Angela Sterritt or By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle instead.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most recent release in the excellent "50 States of Crime" series. It is different from most of the books in the series.

The book centers on the disappearance of Ashley Heavyrunner Loring on June 7,2017. She was a twenty-year-old member of the Blackfeet Nation. She lived on the Blackfeet Reservation in Northern Montana. She was last seen driving away from a party in a pickup truck driven by an older man.

Ashley's older sister, Kimberly Heavyrunner Loring, dedicated her life to searching for Ashley. She organized hundreds of volunteers to search the desert. She hounded law enforcement on the Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI. She carried out her own investigation, at great personal risk.

Kinberly gradually realizes that many Indian woman are disappearing and the law enforcement does not take any of these cases seriously. She eventually gets involved with a larger movement, known as "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples" or MMIP.

The author, Anaiis Renevier, gradually broadens her focus. She explains the incredible level of violence to Native woman. "Native American woman were ten times more likely to be murdered than the average American." Renevier describes the evolution of a movement to address these issues. Some commissions are formed and proclamations issued, but it appears that the MMIP issue is still a serious risk.

The Ashley Heavyrunner Loring story gets a bit lost at times. Unlike most true crime stories, the loose ends aren't neatly tied up at the end.

This is an expose of a horrific situation. I hesitate to suggest this, but it seems like this book shows the total failure of the reservation system. Levels of drug and alcohol abuse are catastrophic. Very few members appear to have fulfilling or challenging jobs. Violence is everywhere. I have no idea what could be done about it, but it does seem like the reservations are not working.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Penzler/Crime Ink an NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
I spent several childhood years living a handful of miles outside the Wind River Reservation, and my exposure to Northern Shoshone and Arapaho culture was definitely formative in my opinions of native-colonial relations and the far-reaching impacts of white colonialism on native societies. I've been following stories of those impacts my entire life. In the past decade, I've been increasingly following the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) in North America for several years, primarily via podcasts. I was already aware of the case of missing Blackfeet woman Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, a woman impacted by lack of resources (especially access to higher education), physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse...all issues that so many indigenous women are subject to as a result of their peoples' treatment at the hands of white colonials over the past four centuries. Ashley's case is especially frustrating considering the known details of her disappearance and the fairly limited number of possible motives.
Renevier does a good job of laying out the facts in her case and what is known in the cases of a number of other MMIW on the Blackfeet and Crow reservations. She outlines the context of these disappeared people's lives on the reservations in Montana and Alberta and the limitations of local law enforcement concern and resources. While the book isn't as exactingly detailed as I would normally expect from a contemporary true crime, this book is a great entry point for learning more about the plight of MMIW and indigenous people living on reservations in North America.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank You to NetGalley for the free ebook.

This book was so interesting. I knew there was a problem with missing Native American women, but the numbers, the lack of resources, and bureaucratic tape was astounding. The book covers mainly Montana and a part of Canada. I had heard about one missing women through the Up and Vanished podcast by Payne Lindsey. The outcomes were bleak, but I hope these cases can be resolved. The book provides information to bring the issue to forefront and raise awareness. With awareness, maybe change will follow.

The book is hard to read not because it isn't written well, but because of the trauma, chaos, grief, and terror these women and their families live in their entire lives. I can't even imagine someone being okay with Native Women being throwaways and not important to their community, state, and nation. It is a worthy eye opening read.

[East of Reality · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Montana, so a book talking about the MMIW crisis set in my home state was an automatic grab from me. It’s a hard topic, and one with no simple answers. (Especially in the current political climate.) The book is well put together and well researched, and the author straddles the line between making this book about the victims and not the case, while still being — in essence — a true crime book.

I’m going to be honest, I don’t really like true crime, so this book didn’t work for me the way it might work for others. But I can appreciate the delicacy and skill used to bring these stories forward, and the need to focus more attention on this problem.

Thank you very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this book! For those of you looking at reviews and not holding the book in your hand, I think it would be helpful to know this book isn’t a large, full fledged investigative novel.

That being said, it’s well researched and well done. Those interested in true crime will find that it covers the story and a lot of the players in an engaging way without feeling exploitative. It’s an important, tough read.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

really important true crime work that feels really important. it's also quite effectively-told and details the situation of the disappearances in Blackfeet reservations. 5 stars. tysm for the arc, would recommend this one.

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[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic story involving the missing Blackfeet women and the non-existent support they received from law enforcement agencies. It was an eye-opening revelation to find out that so many reservation women go missing each year, and yet law enforcement has done so little to help discover the truth behind their murders and disappearances. An informative read and a good true crime novel.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Jarrett Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) crisis in America and Canada is a horrific thing. This book covers a specific case of disappearances in Montana. Heavy information

thank you to netgalley for the ARC