Mercy Falls
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

In the fifth Cork O'Connor novel, a -domestic-disturbance call on the Ojibwa reservation turns nasty when someone starts taking potshots at Cork. Elsewhere, the body of a Chicago businessman is found on the banks of Mercy Falls. The victim was trying to broker a deal between his casino-management company and the reservation. Could someone on the res have killed him? Throw into the mix a beautiful private investigator and the victim's half brother, who used to be Cork's wife's lover (still with me?), and you have a mystery with enough twists and turns to leave even the hardiest reader dazed and confused. Cork, the sharp-witted small-town sheriff, continues to be an engaging and sympathetic series anchor; likewise, Krueger's depiction of rural America and the cultural differences among its residents remains compassionate and authentic. Not just for fans of the series, the novel is a smart and satisfying mystery on its own. --David Pitt Copyright 2005 Booklist

In this solid, action-packed procedural, an assassin lies in wait for Tamarack County, Minn., sheriff Corcoran ?Cork? O?Connor, and even darker threats loom for him and his family. Cork answers a routine domestic violence call on the Iron Lake Reservation. (?It didn?t feel right. A man like Eli might get drunk and riled up enough to kill his wife, but he?d never shoot his dogs.?) Rifle fire drops Cork?s deputy, and as the manhunt escalates, Cork realizes he?s been lured into a trap. Part Ojibwe by birth, he must canoe into lake-riddled northern Minnesota in search of a suspect named Stone. (?On the rez, some people call him majimanidoo. A bad spirit. A devil.?) The mutilation killing of shady Chicago businessman Eddie Jacoby in the parking lot overlooking Mercy Falls may be connected, and Cork learns his wife once had an affair with Jacoby?s brother. The appearance of Dina Willner, a sexy security specialist, further complicates the emotional landscape. Krueger (Blood Hollow, etc.) handles Cork?s fifth adventure with complete competence, but this isn?t merely police work with a touch of Tony Hillerman. In a powerful finale, he forces Cork, who has earned new enemies, to leave his badge behind, foreshadowing another dynamic entry in this popular series. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In Aurora, Minn., Cork O'Connor is the local sheriff, and he is so not being supported. At first, the deal seems nothing more than a ho-hum domestic dispute--Lucy and Eli Tibodeau at it again. But since the call came in from the Iron Lake Reservation, Cork, part Ojibwe himself, decides to ride along with his deputy because things do go better Ojibwe to Ojibwe. Not this time, though. Bullets fly, Deputy Marsha Dross goes down, critically wounded, Cork escaping narrowly--an ambush, the 911 call an obvious fake, the Tibodeaus miles from home at the time. Investigation soon persuades the cops that, in the dark, the tall, broad-shouldered Marsha was mistaken for Cork, and now the question becomes: Who could possibly hate so valiant and virtuous a sheriff enough to resort to murder? Before Cork can come to grips with that, however, there's a second bloody incident. Loathsome Eddie Jacoby is found dead, and suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame. Arrogant, vulgar, a womanizer and a bully, Eddie was nevertheless the favorite son of his rich and powerful dad. From Chicago, the Jacobys descend en masse, bringing with them as a sort of hired gun ex-FBI hotshot Dina Winter. Grief-stricken but enraged, Lou Jacoby wants his son's killer nailed, and he doesn't trust any "hayseed with a badge" to get the job done, which is why Dina's on hand. But why, exactly, is Ben Jacoby, Eddie's not very adoring half brother, on hand? Cork doesn't like the way Ben keeps eyeing Jo, Cork's wife. Discovering that Ben and Jo knew each other--and knew each other well--when both were in law school, he likes it even less. And that's just for starters. It's not plotting that keeps Krueger (Blood Hollow, 2004, etc.) a rank below the best suspensers, it's the relentless probity of his Dudley Do-Right hero. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In the fifth Cork O'Connor novel, a -domestic-disturbance call on the Ojibwa reservation turns nasty when someone starts taking potshots at Cork. Elsewhere, the body of a Chicago businessman is found on the banks of Mercy Falls. The victim was trying to broker a deal between his casino-management company and the reservation. Could someone on the res have killed him? Throw into the mix a beautiful private investigator and the victim's half brother, who used to be Cork's wife's lover (still with me?), and you have a mystery with enough twists and turns to leave even the hardiest reader dazed and confused. Cork, the sharp-witted small-town sheriff, continues to be an engaging and sympathetic series anchor; likewise, Krueger's depiction of rural America and the cultural differences among its residents remains compassionate and authentic. Not just for fans of the series, the novel is a smart and satisfying mystery on its own. ((Reviewed August 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

In this solid, action-packed procedural, an assassin lies in wait for Tamarack County, Minn., sheriff Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor, and even darker threats loom for him and his family. Cork answers a routine domestic violence call on the Iron Lake Reservation. ("It didn't feel right. A man like Eli might get drunk and riled up enough to kill his wife, but he'd never shoot his dogs.") Rifle fire drops Cork's deputy, and as the manhunt escalates, Cork realizes he's been lured into a trap. Part Ojibwe by birth, he must canoe into lake-riddled northern Minnesota in search of a suspect named Stone. ("On the rez, some people call him majimanidoo. A bad spirit. A devil.") The mutilation killing of shady Chicago businessman Eddie Jacoby in the parking lot overlooking Mercy Falls may be connected, and Cork learns his wife once had an affair with Jacoby's brother. The appearance of Dina Willner, a sexy security specialist, further complicates the emotional landscape. Krueger (Blood Hollow, etc.) handles Cork's fifth adventure with complete competence, but this isn't merely police work with a touch of Tony Hillerman. In a powerful finale, he forces Cork, who has earned new enemies, to leave his badge behind, foreshadowing another dynamic entry in this popular series. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.