Sins of Our Fathers - Tapa dura

Finalist for The 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller

Praise for Sins of Our Fathers

"A wonderfully vivid debut."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Fans of Larry Watson and Louise Erdrich will enjoy the intricate plot, well-developed characters, and readers who are interested in mysteries with a Minnesota setting will want to try this edgy page-turner."
--Library Journal

"With precise writing and a storyteller's eye for detail, it's hard to believe this is Shawn Lawrence Otto's debut novel. Sins of Our Fathers is a fine depiction of how all the best intentions can--and do--go very, very wrong. A magnificent debut."
--Urban Waite, author of The Terror of Living

"In Sins of Our Fathers, screenwriter-turned-novelist Shawn Lawrence Otto has pushed his perfectly crafted characters to their limits. The result is a literary tour de force and a psychological thriller that hooked me from the first page and carried me through to its stunning conclusion."
--Joel Surnow, creator of 24

"Excellent writing and dynamic characters make this novel a page turner that stands above the rest."
--Robert Alexander, Author of The Kitchen Boy

"Banking issues, as well as stereotyping and generalization, are longstanding problems in Indian country. As I read Sins of Our Fathers, I imagined many of the scenes vividly, because many Native people have lived them. It is almost as if instead of writing a novel, Shawn Lawrence Otto has managed to capture a true story that is often repeated in different forms. I love this novel."
--Sidra Starkovich, Bois Forte Tribal Planning and Community Development Officer

"Believable characters and a strong sense of place mark this tale of risk and redemption."
--Booklist

From the screenwriter of the Oscar-nominated House of Sand and Fog, a fierce, elegant, page-turning novel about race, money, and the American Dream

JW is a small-town banker. His specialty: teaching other bankers in towns near Indian reservations how to profit from casino deposits without exposing themselves to risk. His problem: having lost his son in a car accident a year ago, JW is depressed, his wife is leaving him, and he can’t stop gambling.

When he is caught embezzling funds to support his addiction, JW’s boss offers him a choice. He can either accept responsibility and go to prison, or use his talents to sabotage a competing Native American banker named Johnny Eagle. With the clock ticking, JW moves into a trailer on the reservation within sight of his prey. But as he befriends Eagle and his son, JW finds that his plan to reclaim his freedom will be more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.