Looking for Smoke

In her powerful debut novel, Looking for Smoke, author K. A. Cobell (Blackfeet) weaves loss, betrayal, and complex characters into a thriller that will illuminate, surprise, and engage readers until the final word. A must-pick for readers who enjoy books by Angeline Boulley and Karen McManus!

When local girl Loren includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor Loren’s missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends on the Blackfeet reservation.

Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered.

Because the four members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation. And all of them—Mara, Loren, Brody, and Eli—have a complicated history with Samantha.

Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer.

'A stunning debut, as beautiful as it is bold. Cobell has woven an aching examination of grief in an Indigenous community with a thriller brimming with so many secrets and twists, it’ll leave you breathless.' — Diana Urban, award-winning author of All Your Twisted Secrets

'A gripping debut thriller with dynamic characters who leap off the page and demand to be heard.'  — Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Counselors and The Legacies

'With a complex and beautifully drawn cast of characters and a world that comes to life in vivid color, Looking for Smoke will draw you deep into a mystery that's steeped in grief and shrouded in secrets. This is a story that moves with the relentless beat of the drums, and its echoes reverberate long after you've read the final page.' — Ginny Myers Sain, New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies

'An absolute thrilling mystery, that's beautifully told! Looking For Smoke completely blew me away.'  — Nick Brooks, author of Promise Boys

'Looking for Smoke opens a heartbreaking window onto the ongoing plague of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, exploring its real world costs. These unforgettable young characters give voice to this ever-growing trauma. Their stories will leave you with a richer understanding of what it means just to survive, as a young Indigenous person today.” — Eric Gansworth, author of Printz Honor Book Apple (Skin to the Core)

'A breathtaking debut thriller filled with raw emotions, life-like characters, and a vivid setting that centers on the all-too-real epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. KA Cobell is a talent to watch, and I can't wait to see what she does next.' —  Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of the Agathas series and The Lucky Ones

'Via four alternating POVs informed by the intricacies of reservation life, Cobell highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis and delivers a gut-punch of an ending in this timely debut thriller that is by turns spine-tingling and emotionally raw.' — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'Cobell takes an already solid thriller and raises the stakes by setting it on a Blackfeet Nation reservation, shining light upon the problems that plague many Native American communities, including drug use, domestic abuse, and poverty. Every character has had their lives impacted by one or more of these, and the struggle against these pervasive issues drags them down like an inexorable tide. The result is a story that is gritty and tense but also showcases the deep-rooted strength Native American communities have to summon hope in challenging times.' — Booklist

'A worthy read for sleuthy, detail-oriented teens. All the hallmarks of a page-turning thriller are here, with unreliable alibis aplenty and clues interspersed at a compelling pace, as well as a final, satisfying showdown with a twist that’s the perfect culmination of the quest for justice.' — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books