another episode in the life and times of Cork O'connor, Cork was once the sherriff now a PI, part Indian blood he represents members of the tribe at times along with his wife, Jo, who is the lawyer for the rez people.
Very good series, start from the first then get caught up to date you won't regret reading this series.
Very good series, start from the first then get caught up to date you won't regret reading this series.
I have read most of Krueger's books and they are well-written, suspenseful and great action novels. This particular book finds Cork O'Connor in the midst of a murder and is hired to find the suspect and ends up swearing fealty to the Ojibwe of Iron Lake.
O'Connor is half Irish and half Ojibwa and hopes to stop a racial war before the bloodshed starts. I found this book as one of his best novels and highly recommend it.
O'Connor is half Irish and half Ojibwa and hopes to stop a racial war before the bloodshed starts. I found this book as one of his best novels and highly recommend it.
Book Description
When the daughter of a powerful businessman dies as a result of her meth addiction, her father, strong-willed and brutal Buck Reinhardt, vows revenge. His target is the Red Boyz, a gang of Ojibwe youths accused of supplying the girl's fatal drug dose. When the head of the Red Boyz and his wife are murdered in a way that suggests execution, the Ojibwe gang mobilizes, and the citizens of Tamarack County brace themselves for war, white against red.
Both sides look to Cork O'Connor, a man of mixed heritage, to uncover the truth behind the murders. A former sheriff, Cork has lived, fought, and nearly died to keep the small-town streets and his family safe from harm. He knows that violence is never a virtue, but he believes that it's sometimes a necessary response to the evil that men do. Racing to find answers before the bloodshed spreads, Cork himself becomes involved in the darkest of deeds. As the unspeakable unfolds in the remote and beautiful place he calls home, Cork is forced to confront the horrific truth: Violence is a beast that cannot be contained.
In Red Knife, Krueger gives his readers a vivid picture of racial conflict in small-town America, as well as a sensitive look at the secrets we keep from even those closest to us and the destructive nature of all that is left unsaid between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, friends and lovers.
My Review
The Cork O'Connor mysteries are always consistently very good. But, this one seems the best so far. There are lots of twists and the book was very hard to put down. The plot was well-structured and the story was told well. I highly recommend this series but they should be read in order as the stories build one upon the other.
When the daughter of a powerful businessman dies as a result of her meth addiction, her father, strong-willed and brutal Buck Reinhardt, vows revenge. His target is the Red Boyz, a gang of Ojibwe youths accused of supplying the girl's fatal drug dose. When the head of the Red Boyz and his wife are murdered in a way that suggests execution, the Ojibwe gang mobilizes, and the citizens of Tamarack County brace themselves for war, white against red.
Both sides look to Cork O'Connor, a man of mixed heritage, to uncover the truth behind the murders. A former sheriff, Cork has lived, fought, and nearly died to keep the small-town streets and his family safe from harm. He knows that violence is never a virtue, but he believes that it's sometimes a necessary response to the evil that men do. Racing to find answers before the bloodshed spreads, Cork himself becomes involved in the darkest of deeds. As the unspeakable unfolds in the remote and beautiful place he calls home, Cork is forced to confront the horrific truth: Violence is a beast that cannot be contained.
In Red Knife, Krueger gives his readers a vivid picture of racial conflict in small-town America, as well as a sensitive look at the secrets we keep from even those closest to us and the destructive nature of all that is left unsaid between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, friends and lovers.
My Review
The Cork O'Connor mysteries are always consistently very good. But, this one seems the best so far. There are lots of twists and the book was very hard to put down. The plot was well-structured and the story was told well. I highly recommend this series but they should be read in order as the stories build one upon the other.
8th in the Cork O'Connor series; I think it would be easy for a new reader to pick up here. There's a lot more conflict going on here than just the whites against the natives, but the main thrust is that the town is split, with the Caucasians angry at the "Red Boyz" gang for allegedly selling meth, causing the death of a teenage girl; the Ojibwe tribe is outraged when the head of the gang plus his wife and child are executed and the police take their time looking for a killer. Cork O'Connor, with his mixed heritage, is caught between the two sides. Krueger always gives O'Connor some hard choices and doesn't make him rigidly consistent with them either. Krueger will have him thinking about how important his family is, and how he's resolved to change his ways and be with them, but as soon as trouble strikes he's in the middle of it again. His wife also is on-again off-again about his involvement. I didn't feel like this book had such a strong sense of place as previously, but it could be that I've read enough of them that I'm used to it. I thought the resolution of the main plot was a little too pat. The ending, which is not related to the solution of the murders, was telegraphed way in advance and is terribly sad. Krueger departs from his normal style a bit to provide a glimpse into a few characters' future lives afterwards.
Excellent!
It is no huge secret I have turned into a huge William Kent Krueger fan, and love his main character Cork O'Connor that he writes about, and all of his other colorful quirky characters. This book is one of the few of Krueger's books that starts out slow and was a little harder to get into. Silly me I should have known, it's like putting a pan of cold water on the stove and waiting for it to boil. It doesn't take long and the water starts to heat up and before you know it is boiling over. Same goes with this book "Red Knife" it just gets better and better as the story develops! This mystery finds Cork O'Connor former sheriff of Aurora, MN caught in the middle of a mess, doe he follow his ties as a former sheriff and peacemaker and help out the new sheriff or does his blood run thicker as part Ojibwe Indian and he remains loyal to his roots? The plot thickens as the book moves forward and once again had me totally baffled as to who done what? I love the twists and turns that Krueger lays out as you go down the road, this one is no different as you race to turn the last page. The last 50 pages or so in this book absolutely sped by. Have your calendar empty as you approach the end as you won't be able to put this one down!
