This is the 4th book I've read by Krueger and I am finding him getting better as a story teller and writer as he goes along. This one finds Cork still slinging burgers and not being a cop, but drawn into a kidnapping that accidentally includes his wife and son. As he and Lindstrom try to free their wives and sons, turns out Lindstrom is behind the whole thing as he tries to circumvent a pre-nup with is wife before she can get a divorce from him and shut him out with nothing from her fortune. A feverish ending finally gets all of the bad guys dead and Cork and his family reunited.

KIRKUS: Third suspenser set in hardscrabble Aurora, Minnesota, featuring ex-sheriff Cork O’Connor (Iron Lake, 1998; Boundary Waters, 1999), whose lawyer wife represents the Anishinaabe tribe. The tribe holds sacred a great white pine woods they call Minishoomisag, or Our Grandfathers. Lumberman Karl Lindstrom’s mill lies close by the sacred wood—too close, say the Anishinaabe. The area becomes as feverish as the red sun through smoke arising from the sawmill following a mysterious explosion that kills a night watchman. Many locals want Cork to run for sheriff again and take on the case. Trouble is, Cork is part Anishinaabe himself and with the Anishinaabe under suspicion, and with his wife as their lawyer, the wiser course isn’t easily chosen.

Krueger’s stripped storytelling wins no prize for fine prose but does move straight down the track toward purgative vengeance and devastation.

A solid mystery with some very good twists at the end. The author continues to capture the people and places of Northern Minnesota like a well-done documentary. ( )

There are great characters, a strong sense of place, a lot of good Native American lore and the midwestern small town feel. Krueger does a great job of misdirection keeping you away from the final solution until near the end. Author also places at least one FBI mistake in the middle of the book--this one is true to his promise. Good book. ( )

Really enjoying this series, but I am worried about Cork - how much more physical abuse can he take :)?
Kinda fun to start a series that already has 18 books in it - I'm reading them fairly close together so I'm remembering the storylines for all the characters. Looking forward to number 4! ( )

I've really enjoyed all of William Kent Kueger's books, both standalone and the Cork O'Connor series. I think this is the best so far of this series, with a little something for everyone. There are great characters, a strong sense of place, a lot of good Native American lore, mystery, excitement, and romance. There were actually multiple seemingly unrelated mysteries that came together in the end.

As with many towns that have a strong Native American presence, not to mention logging interests, there is always friction in the town, and in this story, the town becomes a powder keg about to explode - well, actually, there is an explosion at one point and it seems like there may be more on the way as emotions run high. The interests of the town collide with the interests of the Native American residents, along with the out-of-town treehuggers and the mill owners. Lots of excitement throughout. ( )