Manitou Canyon: A Novel (15) (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series)

I am hooked. Everyone of the Corcoran O’Connor series has been a page turner.

I was totally hooked after book one and now proceeded to book 16. I spent much time in Minnesota and some in Hurley, Wisconsin so I closely identify with the atmosphere created. You will not be disappointed with Cork O'Connor or the writing of Krueger.

As William Kent Krueger fans know, the author has been wrestling with his writing and has fallen a bit behind on his schedule. After a two-year break in time, Cork O’Connor is back and Manitou Canyon is a solid contribution to the saga of his life and works.The dust jacket blurb reads as follows: “A taut, masterful thriller, Manitou Canyon features everything readers love in a Cork O’Connor novel: a dramatic Northwoods setting, an intriguing view of the Ojibwe culture, an enigmatic crime, brilliant storytelling, and a profound understanding of the natural world.”If I might editorialize on that statement . . . the Northwoods setting (principally in the Boundary Waters and points north) is superb; the exploration of Ojibwe culture is more extensive than it is in the standard Cork O’Connor mystery. We learn more vocabulary and hear many words of wisdom from Henry Meloux. The view of the natural world (particularly its geology) is expert and fascinating. The crime itself, however, is not terribly enigmatic. The storytelling is most impressive, because WKK is working with fairly small materials. A wealthy man known to Cork in his youth has gone camping and disappeared. The local officials (and Cork) have been unable to find him. Cork is hired by his grandson and granddaughter to give it a second shot and he (with the granddaughter) promptly disappears.The general outline of the ‘mystery’ is telegraphed fairly early and the thrust of the narration is twofold: Cork struggles to understand the underlying story’s details and the folks back home worry about him and try to find him.These novels always carry a strong family subplot, one reinforced by the fact that WKK is willing to see his characters’ lives develop and change (and, even, end). This is heightened in this novel because Cork’s daughter Jenny is scheduled to be married (in two weeks), Cork’s lover Rainy is thinking over her options with him, Aunt Rose has come to visit and help the family prepare for the wedding and an old friend of Henry’s has come for the wedding but also in hopes of rekindling her relationship with him. In short, there is a great deal of activity at Crow Point and on Gooseberry Lane in Aurora. The family subplot (with all worrying about Cork) is half of the story and WKK cuts between the mystery plot and the subplot chapter by chapter, adding to the suspense. The storytelling is excellent but the mystery, per se, is clarified (or telegraphed) fairly early on. The end result is nevertheless the same—a first-rate novel and solid literary mystery that readers will want to read straight through.Highly recommended.

The Cork O'Connor series is one of my all time favorites! The characters that William Kent Krueger writes about are alive,colorful, and ones that you can't wait to read about again. Cork O'Connor and his family are not unlike any of our own families and not without faults. The storylines are always charged and suspenseful and I have always found the books hard to put down. The Cork O'Connor series are told with thought and most are charged with modern day conflicts. This one brings to mind the day to day headlines involving the North Dakota pipeline and Native Americans as it has similar events. Through his eyes we can see the unjust to our resources and as how his main character, who is half Native American, and others of the Ojibwe tribe see the trajedies that we as whites do to our native soil and ecosystem! Cork O'Connor former sheriff of Aurora, MN and now private investigator takes a case involving a childhood friend that he looked up to and who now has come up missing on a fishing trip. Little does O'Connor know in this search he opens up a huge can of worms much larger than he has expected. He himself goes missing along with his missing friends granddaughter in the month of November, a month no one wants to be lost in, especially in the cold and wilds of Minnesota. His family now is also involved in the search for Cork O'Connor as they know something tragically has gone wrong for he is not home in time for his daughters wedding. This book like others in the series sends you on an adventure full of twists and turns, and one that will find yourself not wanting to put your bookmark in! Be prepared for some sleepless nights, this one like others I found myself waking up in the middle of night to pick it back up. If you haven't read any of the books in the series, I would recommend you picking up the first in the series, and soon you will find yourself getting to know and love the family and characters in the Cork O'Connor series. You won't be disappointed!!

Krueger has the ability to give life to his character Cork, there is depth to his story well written a very good series

雪の季節を前にハンバーガー店を閉め、亡き妻を偲びつつ娘の結婚式を２週間後に控えたコークが屋根修理をしていたところに若い女性リンジーが現れ、最近行方不明となり郡をあげた捜索が無為に終わった祖父ジョン・ハリスを一緒に探してくれないかと頼みこんだ。大手建設会社社長で幼いころ近所にいたジョンの孫ということもあり、また以前同じ思いで妻の遺体を一人で探しだしたコークは身につまされて、心配する親しい仲間たちを振り切って二人で山に入ったところ、銃をもった子供連れの男女に捕まってしまいカヌーに乗せられてカナダ方面へ連れて行かれる破目に陥る。オブジワ族の血をひき霊視をする息子スティーブンが急遽帰郷し、コークが師と仰ぐ長老メルーの姪レイニーもコークの危険を感じ取り、一緒に捜索にかかる。いつものオブジワ ストーリーの華がひらき いやが上にも興味を掻き立てられる。謎だらけの拉致犯人たちだがリーダーの男アーロンはコークが一目置くほどの山のエキスパートで、道々コークが分析を試みると、どうやらジョン・ハリスと孫のリンジーを鍵とする大規模な環境問題の争いに巻き込まれたらしい。勇敢なオコナーがいつ逆襲に転じるか、と読み進めるが今回ばかりは陰謀の背景を見極めるべく終始落ち着いた動きを見せ、リンジーを庇い、怪我をした少年をいたわり、そのうち誘拐犯アーロンが単なる粗暴犯でないことに気づく。クルーガー氏の筆は冴えわたり、冬まじかの湖と森の気配を満喫できる。最後に黒幕が姿を見せてどでかい山場に雪崩れこむが、それでもコークは慌てない。最終ページで良い人アーロンが姿を見せ、いずれまたお目にかかるか、とも思わせる。久しぶりのオコナーは一まわりも二まわりも大きくなっていた。大満足。

great story

Love this author

This series has been well worth reading, the information content (if true) is to some degree enlightening. The stories are engaging,Cork O'Connor if anything a little too much of a hero !