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Wisdom Corner
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50 copies available
U.S. only
From the award-winning author of Winter Counts comes a new thriller about life—and death—on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated, threats are coming from the Pine Ridge 705—a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud—and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.
With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?
Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated, threats are coming from the Pine Ridge 705—a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud—and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.
With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 7, 2026
6 people are currently reading
8850 people want to read
About the author
David Heska Wanbli Weiden
12 books870 followersDavid Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, is the author of Wisdom Corner (Ecco, 2026). His first novel Winter Counts (Ecco, 2020), was nominated for an Edgar Award and was the winner of the Anthony, Thriller, Lefty, Barry, Macavity, Spur, High Plains, Tillie Olsen, CrimeFest (UK), and Crime Fiction Lover (UK) Awards. The novel was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an Indie Next pick, main selection of the Book of the Month Club, and named a Best Book of the year by NPR, Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, The Guardian, and other magazines. The novel is included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 best mystery and thriller novels of all time. He received the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship and is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Ucross, Sewanee, and Tin House. A professor of English and Native American & Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University, he lives in New York and Colorado with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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March 24, 2022I'm glad we'll be seeing Virgil again.
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April 20, 2022I can't wait!!!
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December 13, 2025I can't wait!
April 20, 2026
Virgil has walked away from his informal job as a vigilante-for-hire, but trouble is brewing on the reservation, including (but not limited to) corrupt politics and the murder of the town's medicine man. A companion novel to Weiden's debut novel Winter Counts, Wisdom Corner is a fast-paced and enticing Indigenous thriller that kept me invested from start to finish! I was also so glad to see more of Virgil, and his family & friends-- I love how integral the whole community is to the narrative. I don't read a lot of thrillers or mysteries, but Weiden has quickly won me over as an auto-read author.
March 25, 2026
Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 7, 2026
Virgil Wounded Horse is SO BACK! Based on how “Winter Counts” ended I was anticipating a story about missing Native women, however we’re immediately thrown back into the world of vigilante justice, a broken tribal criminal justice system, “rez” gang activity, and the dark underbelly of politics. We also get a heartbreaking look at the generational trauma of residential schools, one of the darkest parts of North American history in my mind, and I hope that aspect of the book brings about a lot of discussion. I certainly learned a lot.
The character development in “Winter Counts” was so strong it felt easy to dive right back into Virgil’s world in “Wisdom Corner,” I was already rooting for him, Marie, and Nathan from the outset. I love how Weiden provides a full spectrum of morally grey characters… and yet I still can’t help but enjoy and root for basically all of them! I’m 100% a Virgil apologist at this point, even if and when he breaks bad. He never misses in the heat of the moment, and he’s truly a master class in de-escalation any time he’s outnumbered, which is almost always! I enjoyed getting to see him in a father-like role to Nathan in this installment.
Also of note is the immersion into rez life that Weiden gives readers a peak into. Feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and marginalization abound, as does an undercurrent of strong family and community ties. He doesn’t shy away from showcasing the impacts of history - the alcoholism and substance use, the inadequate health services and underfunded institutions. The unfairness of it all, and how each character has responded to it and shaped their life and choices around it, is rife with important opportunities for reflection and discussion. I continue to be a fan of Weiden’s writing, and while this is only my second foray into the Indigenous crime genre I will read as many Virgil stories as he wants to give us!
Virgil Wounded Horse is SO BACK! Based on how “Winter Counts” ended I was anticipating a story about missing Native women, however we’re immediately thrown back into the world of vigilante justice, a broken tribal criminal justice system, “rez” gang activity, and the dark underbelly of politics. We also get a heartbreaking look at the generational trauma of residential schools, one of the darkest parts of North American history in my mind, and I hope that aspect of the book brings about a lot of discussion. I certainly learned a lot.
The character development in “Winter Counts” was so strong it felt easy to dive right back into Virgil’s world in “Wisdom Corner,” I was already rooting for him, Marie, and Nathan from the outset. I love how Weiden provides a full spectrum of morally grey characters… and yet I still can’t help but enjoy and root for basically all of them! I’m 100% a Virgil apologist at this point, even if and when he breaks bad. He never misses in the heat of the moment, and he’s truly a master class in de-escalation any time he’s outnumbered, which is almost always! I enjoyed getting to see him in a father-like role to Nathan in this installment.
Also of note is the immersion into rez life that Weiden gives readers a peak into. Feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and marginalization abound, as does an undercurrent of strong family and community ties. He doesn’t shy away from showcasing the impacts of history - the alcoholism and substance use, the inadequate health services and underfunded institutions. The unfairness of it all, and how each character has responded to it and shaped their life and choices around it, is rife with important opportunities for reflection and discussion. I continue to be a fan of Weiden’s writing, and while this is only my second foray into the Indigenous crime genre I will read as many Virgil stories as he wants to give us!
Review of advance copy received from Author
“(Virgil) was the reservation’s vigilante- the guy you hired when you couldn’t get justice from the courts or the tribal council…I made a promise to the Creator…I’d try to help people in other ways-get on the Good Red Road…” He was encouraged by his spiritual adviser, Jerome Iron Shell, healer and medicine man, to change his ways.
“...the Indian way. We know it takes time to build something that matters…we’ve always judged a person’s wealth by how much they give away, not how much they keep.” These values were held dear by Virgil’s girlfriend Marie who was running for Tribal Council Representative. Her opponent was the incumbent Mitch Gagnon. Gagnon had a reputation for playing dirty…was rumored to have gotten kickbacks for his dealings.
Jerome Iron Shell was a member of an Indigenous group working to reclaim land that was illegally transferred. As a former student of an Indian Boarding School, and along with his status in the Lakota community, he organized a Ghost Dance around a Land Project site. The Spirit Dance would not take place. The Sicangu Sioux community was devastated to learn of the violent attack on Jerome. Virgil vowed to get involved and solve Jerome’s murder and seek Native justice.
Virgil’s quest for justice intensified by the revelation that many children who died at the boarding school Jerome attended, as a child, had not been repatriated to the Rosebud Reservation. The whereabouts of Virgil’s auntie remained unknown. “The dispute over the school land had been heated, but now it would be a war.” “Our people believed that kids were closest to the Creator…In the Lakota tradition- children were wakan-sacred.”
Virgil’s involvement in solving crimes included bootlegging disputes between the Rosebud Rez and the neighboring reservation. Retaliatory measures might be taken when demands were unmet. This included threats to family and property. The tribal police were slow to address gang issues. “I liked to think that most people around here appreciated my work as an enforcer for those seeking justice…a job often needing extra muscle.” Virgil was as reluctant to accept help from the Rosebud Tribal Chief of Police, Rose Charging Cloud, as she was loath to provide it. They would, however, occasionally work in unison to try to unravel the mystery surrounding several deaths and suspicious fires on the Rosebud Reservation.
To err is human and Virgil Wounded Horse was very aware of his shortcomings, however, his determination to safeguard members of his community took precedence even if his methods were not always above board. To many, he was an unsung hero. Author David Heska Wanbli
Weiden propels the reader along with Virgil on his quest for justice. He educates and informs on Native American culture. In the 1800s, holding a sweat lodge or other Indian ceremony was a felony punishable by a year in prison. Indigenous spirituality remained a criminal offense until the late 1970s. Another highlighted issue was the difficulty navigating the criminal justice system. “Serious felony crimes on the rez had to be referred to the FBI, but they declined a large number of cases, which meant that offenders went free…”. It was no wonder that the detective skills of Virgil were needed to discover who attacked Jerome and why the Land Project continued despite the knowledge that unmarked graves of descendants were under the building site.
An excellent thought-provoking thriller I highly recommend.
Thank you David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Ecco for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“...the Indian way. We know it takes time to build something that matters…we’ve always judged a person’s wealth by how much they give away, not how much they keep.” These values were held dear by Virgil’s girlfriend Marie who was running for Tribal Council Representative. Her opponent was the incumbent Mitch Gagnon. Gagnon had a reputation for playing dirty…was rumored to have gotten kickbacks for his dealings.
Jerome Iron Shell was a member of an Indigenous group working to reclaim land that was illegally transferred. As a former student of an Indian Boarding School, and along with his status in the Lakota community, he organized a Ghost Dance around a Land Project site. The Spirit Dance would not take place. The Sicangu Sioux community was devastated to learn of the violent attack on Jerome. Virgil vowed to get involved and solve Jerome’s murder and seek Native justice.
Virgil’s quest for justice intensified by the revelation that many children who died at the boarding school Jerome attended, as a child, had not been repatriated to the Rosebud Reservation. The whereabouts of Virgil’s auntie remained unknown. “The dispute over the school land had been heated, but now it would be a war.” “Our people believed that kids were closest to the Creator…In the Lakota tradition- children were wakan-sacred.”
Virgil’s involvement in solving crimes included bootlegging disputes between the Rosebud Rez and the neighboring reservation. Retaliatory measures might be taken when demands were unmet. This included threats to family and property. The tribal police were slow to address gang issues. “I liked to think that most people around here appreciated my work as an enforcer for those seeking justice…a job often needing extra muscle.” Virgil was as reluctant to accept help from the Rosebud Tribal Chief of Police, Rose Charging Cloud, as she was loath to provide it. They would, however, occasionally work in unison to try to unravel the mystery surrounding several deaths and suspicious fires on the Rosebud Reservation.
To err is human and Virgil Wounded Horse was very aware of his shortcomings, however, his determination to safeguard members of his community took precedence even if his methods were not always above board. To many, he was an unsung hero. Author David Heska Wanbli
Weiden propels the reader along with Virgil on his quest for justice. He educates and informs on Native American culture. In the 1800s, holding a sweat lodge or other Indian ceremony was a felony punishable by a year in prison. Indigenous spirituality remained a criminal offense until the late 1970s. Another highlighted issue was the difficulty navigating the criminal justice system. “Serious felony crimes on the rez had to be referred to the FBI, but they declined a large number of cases, which meant that offenders went free…”. It was no wonder that the detective skills of Virgil were needed to discover who attacked Jerome and why the Land Project continued despite the knowledge that unmarked graves of descendants were under the building site.
An excellent thought-provoking thriller I highly recommend.
Thank you David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Ecco for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2026
This is a book two and needs to be marketed that way. When I read the first ten percent or so, I felt like there was a lot of telling me what happened in the past and I started to wonder if this was a book two. So I went back and reread the description. No mention of a series. I continued reading and my conviction that I was being told a huge amount of backstory strengthened. The description says that this book is from the author of Winter Counts, which makes it sound like both this book and Winter Counts are standalones that just happen to be by the same author. You have to actually click into the description of Winter Counts to see that all the characters have the same name and that a lot of the backstory I've just been told about is the description of Winter Counts. Which didn't feel great, if I'm being honest. Had I known this was a book two, I would have gone ahead and read book one first and then this ARC. Now I feel like I'm coming into the middle and I can't decide if it's OK to have such a huge portion of tell not show because it's a book two, or if this is just a writing problem. Also, according to the description of the book, the mystery is who killed the medicine man. But the medicine man isn't attacked until 27% in, which is a huge portion of book to go by without the inciting incident. Maybe I'm just not the correct reader for this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
After thoroughly enjoying Winter Counts several years ago, I was excited to learn of an upcoming sequel. I eagerly waited to get my hands on Wisdom Corner, and all my expectations were easily met and more. I greatly appreciate how assertively, unapologetically indigenous, and specifically Lakota the entire work is. Not just the setting and characters, but also how the author very clearly highlights the challenges and also the outright major flaws in the legal justice system available on the reservations. Also appreciated were the informative pieces of Native American history liberally sprinkled about, almost all of it knowledge that will be quite new to the majority of readers who were collectively failed by our grade school education on this front. Finally, Wisdom Corner of course also proved to be quite the gripping thriller overall, and I found it difficult to put aside once I got deep into the twists and turns of the plot.
I am already hoping that David Heska Wanbli Weiden surprises us by turning this series into a trilogy with a (hopefully not too far-in-the-future) publication.
After thoroughly enjoying Winter Counts several years ago, I was excited to learn of an upcoming sequel. I eagerly waited to get my hands on Wisdom Corner, and all my expectations were easily met and more. I greatly appreciate how assertively, unapologetically indigenous, and specifically Lakota the entire work is. Not just the setting and characters, but also how the author very clearly highlights the challenges and also the outright major flaws in the legal justice system available on the reservations. Also appreciated were the informative pieces of Native American history liberally sprinkled about, almost all of it knowledge that will be quite new to the majority of readers who were collectively failed by our grade school education on this front. Finally, Wisdom Corner of course also proved to be quite the gripping thriller overall, and I found it difficult to put aside once I got deep into the twists and turns of the plot.
I am already hoping that David Heska Wanbli Weiden surprises us by turning this series into a trilogy with a (hopefully not too far-in-the-future) publication.
May 11, 2026
Wisdom Corner is a well written mystery thriller that transports you immediately to a time and place. The world building of this community feels tangible. I appreciated the historical context provided about the crimes that take place in the novel.
It did take at least half way through the book to hook me in, the mystery doesn’t really click into place until that point. So while it’s a solid thriller, it struggles with pacing. I also felt some of the historical exposé was randomly thrown in rather than integrated into the plot. I appreciate reminders of the history but want it to feel woven in, rather than tacked onto, the story.
I appreciated how deeply the book makes you think about vigilante justice in the context of tribal land and the role of the US government in those situations.
This was my first book by this author and I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
It did take at least half way through the book to hook me in, the mystery doesn’t really click into place until that point. So while it’s a solid thriller, it struggles with pacing. I also felt some of the historical exposé was randomly thrown in rather than integrated into the plot. I appreciate reminders of the history but want it to feel woven in, rather than tacked onto, the story.
I appreciated how deeply the book makes you think about vigilante justice in the context of tribal land and the role of the US government in those situations.
This was my first book by this author and I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is a follow-up to the author’s book Winter Counts which one a bunch of awards. I have been waiting for this book to get published so I was very happy when I received an ARC. As in Winter Counts, a central issue of Wisdom Corner is the problem of fair and efficient criminal justice administration on Native American reservations. The main character has been serving as a vigilante on the reservation but with the second book he is reflecting on whether this is the right path for him and his family. The books are well written, unique and an interesting insight into Native American culture.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was freaking fantastic. Not only is this a good mystery, it weaves life (and issues) that are currently happening on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Virgil Wounded Horse is such a compelling character and his arc has been fantastic. He is trying to be a better man and I can't wait to see where his journey goes. Fans of S.A. Cosby and Jordan Harper will have an additional author to follow, with David Heska Wanbli Weiden.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Outstanding thriller! The main character, Virgil Wounded Horse, is trying to leave behind his past as a hired vigilante. He is doing well with that, encouraged by his girlfriend Marie, until a friend is murdered on the reservation. As Virgil mourns the loss of his dear friend he wrestles with his desire to avenge his friend's murder. Well written and well paced story. I also enjoyed learning more about the traditions of the Lakota people.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Goodreads. I was thrilled to win an advanced reader copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Goodreads. I was thrilled to win an advanced reader copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews