LOOKING FOR SMOKE

Pitched as One of Us is Lying meets Sadie, this Young Adult thriller follows four teens on the Blackfeet Reservation who find themselves the suspects of a murder investigation, casting a light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic (MMIW) and its impact on the lives of those affected by it.

Since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, Mara Racette has felt like an outsider, taunted by her tight-knit classmates for growing up far away. So, ​when a local girl includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor her missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends.

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

Because the members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation:

New-girl Mara Racette, who hated Samantha for being particularly cruel.

Grief-stricken Loren Arnoux, who was Samantha’s best friend until her sister’s disappearance drove a wedge between them.

Class-clown Brody Clark, whose unreciprocated crush on Samantha is an open secret.

And tough-guy Eli First Kill, who has his own 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.

‘…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

‘An unflinching thriller that’s full of clever misdirection.’ — Kirkus Reviews

'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

Advanced praise for Looking for Smoke: