Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger

The last novel of William Kent Krueger's that I read (the excellent This Tender Land) must've been a departure from his usual crime fiction because when I picked this one up it was unexpected. The realization that it was part of a series did not detract as it was easy to make connections and read as a standalone.

Corcoran O'Connor (known as Cork) is sheriff in Tamarack County of the great Northwoods of Minnesota. He and his deputy Marsha Dross are on a routine welfare check when Marsha is shot. The two dogs at the residence had been killed and the residents are nowhere to be found. It becomes clear that this was an ambush by an unknown sniper. What also becomes clear is that Cork was the target, but who set them up?

The other mystery of the book involves a particularly brutal murder. Edward Jacoby's body is found at Mercy Falls, a park in Aurora, Minnesota. Jacoby came from Chicago and worked for Starlight, a company that does Casino management. He had been trying to convince the Iron Lake Ojibwe to become clients and the Reservation Business Committee was going to vote on the issue soon. This notion was not popular on the reservation but was it unpopular enough to get the man murdered? To confound things further it's discovered that the man was a womanizer so perhaps the culprit is a jealous husband? Also, adding to the complications, Jacoby's brother and Cork's wife have a romantic history from when she was a law student in Chicago.

Jacoby's murder and the ambush on Cork and Marsha eventually lead Cork and his team on a dangerous cat and mouse game chasing suspects through the Boundary Waters. And after a bomb is discovered in Cork's car in his driveway, his family is sent away to Chicago for their safety. But did Cork unknowingly send them into a snare involving Jacoby's wealthy and shady family that threatens them even more?

Corcoran O'Connor is a likable character and presents a strong and believable protagonist. The red herrings in the story kept me on my toes and the plot moved along nicely. Krueger is proving himself to be one of those authors that can adeptly move between crime fiction and historical fiction. His themes involving the saga of indigenous people (in particular of Minnesota) are fascinating. The adventures he depicts are well worth the time.