Crow Mary
By Kathleen Grissom
An astonishing fictionalized account of a true story about a young Crow woman, Goes First, who marries a white fur trader. They move from Montana to Saskatchewan, where her husband intends to start a trading post. Along the way, her name is changed to Crow Mary. One night she witnesses a group of ne'er do well whiskey traders who murder over 40 members of a Nakota tribe and take several of their women back to a neighbouring fort. When her husband refuses to get involved, Crow Mary takes two guns, goes to the Fort and rescues the women. This sets in motion a series of events that will pit Crow Mary against a Wolfer named Stiller for many years.
This story is based on true accounts of the massacre at Cypress Hills, which spurned the Canadian government to establish the RCMP. The author writes a fantastic account of this horrific attack and does so from the female point of view. The author wrote this book with permission from Crow Mary's great-granddaughter, hoping it would bring more compassion and insight to the people in our world.
I previously read and enjoyed Kathleen Grissom's book The Kitchen House. This book was hard to put down. I believe readers who have enjoyed her writing in the past will fall in love with this fresh historical fiction of Crow Mary and her brave heart!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
5 stars out of 5
Available June 6, 2023