Dovetails in Tall Grass

As war overtakes the frontier, Emma’s family farmstead is attacked by Dakota-Sioux warriors; on that same prairie, Oenikika desperately tries to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. When the war is over and revenge-fueled war trials begin, each young woman is faced with an impossible choice. In a swiftly changing world, both Emma and Oenikika must look deep within and fight for the truth of their convictions—even as horror and injustice unfolds all around them.

Inspired by the true story of the thirty-eight Dakota-Sioux men hanged in Minnesota in 1862—the largest mass execution in US history—Dovetails in Tall Grass is a powerful tale of two young women connected by the fate of one man.


Genre: Historical

"Dovetails in Tall Grass allows readers to ponder how history might have been altered if rather than might, we employed our brains and hearts. Perfect choice for book clubs!" - Martha Hunt Handler

"Samantha Specks weaves an unforgettable tale of two women in frontier America-one white, one Dakota-each changed forever by the violence of colonization. A remarkably thoughtful and honest look at the human cost of westward expansion; a welcome addition to the world of historical fiction in this new era of truthful storytelling without romanticization of the past. Specks makes a strong debut with Dovetails in Tall Grass. She will be an author worth watching." - Olivia Hawker