The Next Sure Thing by Richard Wagamese

Cree Thunderboy sees himself as a blues man - but he also has a knack for picking horses. It's a talent that is noticed by Win Hardy, who has an interesting proposition for Cree. If Cree starts feeding Win winning information, Win will finance Cree's music career. It's an offer that Cree can't - or won't - refuse, but is it too good to be true? And when so much is riding on it, will Cree be able to pick the next sure thing?

Some of the details of the plot were a bit confusing to me; some of the story is told by having something happen and then having a character explain it later. It's a book that might benefit from a second reading, but I can definitely see readers being interested enough to give it a second reading. There is so much that I'm excited by with this book. One thing is that it has a Native character who is living a modern life. The fact that he is Native is not ignored (details about his family motivate him to get into Win's shady world), but the book is not fully about Cree being Native. He's also a friend, a blues musician, and a guy who's gotten in over his head. Richard Wagamese, an Ojibway author and storyteller, has crafted a very strong story. Another thing that I really love is that this is part of the Rapid Reads series, a book of original, high-interest books that are designed for adult learners to enjoy. The Good Reads series and the Rapid Reads series are such an exciting thing for Canadian adult literacy students. For more information about other Rapid Reads, visit Orca's website.

Check out Richard Wagamese's website.

I received a free copy from a LibraryThing Draw.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
One Fine Day You're Gonna Die by Gail Bowen
Orchestrated Murder by Rick Blechta
And Everything Nice by Kim Moritsugu