Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger (Cork O’Connor series #15)

Manitou Canyon is the fifteenth book in the Cork O’Connor series from William Kent Krueger. And I for one don’t think the series is slowing down at all! I have read all of the books in this series and this one holds its own with any of them.While the Cork O’Connor books are firmly planted in the  mystery.thriller genre they are also more than just mysteries. They are also books about family and cultural identity.

Lee Child says this about the work of William Kent Krueger….

“One of today’s automatic buy-today-read-tonight series…thoughtful but suspenseful, fast but lasting, contemporary but strangely timeless.” (Lee Child)

The Story Begins

When Manitou Canyon  opens it is November and the O’Connor’s are preparing for oldest daughter Jenny;s wedding. Everyone is excited except Cork. For Cork November is a painful month. In Novembers past Cork saw the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend. So when the grandchildren of a childhood friend John Harris’ showed up asking Cork to resume the search that had ended two days prior. Cork jumped at the chance to help. John Harris had disappeared in October while on a fishing trip with his grandchildren into the Boundary Waters. The search had turned up nothing, but Cork felt he had missed something so he wanted do whatever he could to find John.

The Search Begins

So Cork went off into the Northwoods of Minnesota to search for John. Lindsay Harris, John’s granddaughter volunteered to go with Cork, while grandson Trevor stayed behind.  Soon, Cork and Lindsay vanish just like John. The disappearance baffles the O’Connor family and the Tamarack County Police.

Throughout Cork’s life his Objibwe heritage has always been important. His spiritual guide the Mide Henry Meloux has helped Cork overcome life’s obstacles. Cork has always viewed himself as an Ogichidaa.. An Ogichidaa is one who stands evil and his people.

In this adventure Cork is pitted against men who view themselves as Ogichidaa and the losers in their battle with evil may be hundreds of citizens of a small town! If Cork and his family can’t figure out what’s going on!!

My Thoughts

Manitou Canyon was a four plus thumbs up book for me. Once again this visit to Aurora and the Boundary Waters was very, very enjoyable. You would think that in the 15th edition in a series the reader would be saying, same old same old, but that is not the case with Manitou Canyon.

William Kent  Krueger is a master storyteller and the plot of this Manitou Canyon twists and turns enough to keep you guessing about what is really happening. But also excels at creating a sense of place in his stories and he certainly makes me feel like I have visited the Minnesota’ Boundary Waters and other locations many times over the years!

He also excels at character creation and the characters he has created in Cork O’Connor and his family are a large part of the appeal of the series. Readers have watched all of Cork’s children grow into strong young adults. Jenny who became a mother to Waaboo a couple of books ago, is starting a new chapter in her life, with her marriage to Daniel English

But the minor characters are just as important. Let’s see there’s Rose Thorne, Cork’s sister-in-law who helped the family survive the loss of their mother. Then there’s Rainy, the woman who brought love back to Cork’s life and niece of my favorite character Henry Meloux. At the end of Manitou Canyon new chapters are opening in their lives too.

In Manitou Canyon Krueger has also added a new character to the family. Daniel’s great-aunt  Aunt Leah Duhling, who once thought she would marry Henry, has returned to Aurora. And it appears that Leah and Henry are about to enter a new chapter in their lives, too

With all of these new chapters opening in the lives of the O’Connor extended family I can’t wait for the 16th book in this series!! You can probably pick this book up and read and enjoy it. That is the result of Krueger’s abilities as a storyteller. But if you want to enjoy the characters created go back and find Iron Lake the first book in the series and start at the beginning!!

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So while I have not posted much over the last few days, I have finished three books. Finished first was William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace, which was closely followed up by The Forgotten Room from Lincoln Child. Then today, I finished The Toaster Oven Mocks Me by Steve Margolis.

Two novels and a personal memoir, all very good. In this post I will write about the first book Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. William Kent Krueger is the author of the Cork O’Connor series set in northern Minnesota. I am a big fan of those novels.

About Ordinary Grace

Ordinary Grace though is a stand-alone novel and much like Pretty Girls from Karin Slaughter, I put off reading it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after reading these two great books it’s don’t avoid stand-alone novels from an author whose works you enjoy!

The mysteries that I read typically have somebody chasing a serial killer, or a criminal of some sort. That is not the case with Ordinary Grace. Ordinary Grace is a story about bad things happening to good people, and how they survive unbearable sorrow.

About Ordinary Grace

Set in New Bremen, Minnesota, it’s the story about the year 1961 when “death came to New Bremen in many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide.Murder” and the effect of those deaths on the Drum family and the other residents of New Bremen.

The narrator of the story is thirteen year old Frankie Drum, the son of a Methodist minister. Frankie is the middle child, His older sister Ariel is an aspiring musician whose is planning to attention Julliard and his younger brother Jake, whose speech impediment stuttering makes his life a challenge. The two brothers face a myriad of challenges as they roam the streets and byways of New Bremen in the tumultuous year.

To say that this is a wonderful book is an understatement, I love the whole atmosphere of the book, Krueger’s descriptions of 1961 took me back to Beverly, New Jersey in those early 60s A small town  with a barber who I sold comic books to, a wonderful bakery and newspaper store – a town, well where most people knew you! I could go on and on about the wonderful characters but I’ll let some others tell you about the book..

“One cannot read Ordinary Grace without feeling as if it is destined to be hailed as a classic work of literature… one of those very rare books in which one regrets reaching its end, knowing that the experience of having read it for the first time will never be repeated. Krueger, who is incapable of writing badly, arguably has given us his masterpiece.”
—Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter.com [read full review]

“Ordinary Grace is anything but ordinary; an absolutely beautiful book! The plot is suspenseful, yet so touching, and the setting and characters are so vivid that I will feel their impact for some time. It’s beautiful, thought-provoking and engrossing.”
—Kim from Frisco, TX, a Bookreporter.com Sneak Peek reader. Read more reviews by other Sneak Peek readers

“The novel explores faith, mysticism, and rationality in thoughtful, even-handed and open ways that lend itself to recollection and continuing reflection, regardless of readers’ experiences in those areas of life. The characters, and there are many, are carefully and consistently well-drawn. This is a novel of discovery and exploration, for the author and for readers. A well-done reading experience for anyone.”
—Carl Brookins, Agora2 [read full review]

and in the words of Dennis Lehane…

Pitch-perfect… I loved this book.”
—Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Shutter Island, The Given Day

Here’s William Kent Krueger to tell you about Ordinary Grace in his own words….check it out – you won’t be disappointed!!

Links

William Kent Krueger Website

MPR News:Twin Cities author William Kent Krueger wins Edgar Award

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Windigo Island-  William Kent Krueger – (Cork O’Connor # 14)

I started reading the Cork O’Connor series from William Kent Krueger back in 2003 when I picked up Purgatory Ridge, Book #3 in the series, at the library. After finishing the book I quickly sought out the first two books in the series and have not missed a book since!! Cork O’ Connor is the former sheriff of Tamarack County, Minnesota, he is part Ojibwe and Irish. He is also the father of Jennie, Annie and Stephen O’Connor and is constantly battling evil in the County and beyond. Cork uses all the forces that he can gather to fight the evil, that includes the powers of his spiritual mentor Henry Meloux. In Windigo Island Cork and Henry battle a Windigo both the mythical and the rel versions! From Goodreads.com….

Cork O’Connor battles vicious villains, both mythical and modern, to rescue a young girl in the latest nail-biting mystery from New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger.

When the body of a teenage Ojibwe girl washes up on the shore of an island in Lake Superior, the residents of the nearby Bad Bluff reservation whisper that it was the work of a mythical beast, the Windigo, or a vengeful spirit called Michi Peshu. Such stories have been told by the Ojibwe people for generations, but they don’t solve the mystery of how the girl and her friend, Mariah Arceneaux, disappeared a year ago. At the request of the Arceneaux family, Cork O’Connor, former sheriff turned private investigator, is soon on the case…..Read More

What I love about reading this series or other series for that matter is the development of the characters over the life of the series. The O’Connor family has been through some tough times over the course of the series. Annie has left home to become a nun after a harrowing experience (Red Knife) and Stephen has been shoot and left paralyzed (Tamarack County) and Jennie has become an adoptive mother after rescuing a baby.(Northwest Angle) not to mention the biggest family tragedy of all the happened in Heaven’s Keep – and I won’t but don’t read this book first!! Now as Cork unravels the mystery of what happened to Mariah Arceneaux he is trying to make up for all his past failures to rescue or keep from harm the ones he loves. In Windigo Island Cork is aided in his quest not only by Henry but also by daughter Jennie, whose eyes are opened to the lives of her Ojibwe brothers and sisters and to her own heritage!

I can’t say enough about this series it is one of my favorites and William Kent Krueger just keeps getting better and better! You can probably start anywhere in the series and enjoy the book (except Heaven’s Keep #9)  but you may just as well start at the being with Iron Lake and enjoy the full story of Cork O’Connor and his family!!

Book 34 of 2015

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Author William Kent Krueger set this book, the 11th in the Cork O’Connor series in the area of Minnesota known as the Northwest Angle. This pennisula juts into the Lake of the Woods and is the farthest point north in the lower 48 states.

You can not reach this piece of the United States by land without going through Canada! It can of course be reach by air or water, and by by water is how the O’Connor clan got there.

As the novel begins Cork O’Connor has brought his family together daughters Jenny and Anne and son Stephen and his sister-in-law Rose and husband Mal to the Lake of the Woods on a houseboat for a restful family vacation. On the day Jenny’s boyfriend Aaron is set to arrive, Cork takes Jenny on a side trip to an island he once visited with his spiritual guide Henry Meloux.

The island has pictographs of Ojibwe children on the cliffs of the island. But soon the day turns tragic as an unexpexted “Derecho” hits the area. A derecho is another thing that I didn’t know about. It is a powerful storm a bowed line of thunderstorms with wind speeds of a hurricane and causes massive destruction. A derecho hit the Northwest Angle area in July of 1999 you can read about it here.

Soon Cork and Jenny are separated and Jenny lands on an island and finds shelter after the storm she finds a cabin that has been mostly destroyed by the storm a young mother lies dead in the cabin a search of the cabin reveals

diapers and formula all neatly arranged and soon Jenny finds a baby. Soon someone else comes looking for the baby and Jenny must flee the area of the cabin.  But where is her father and are Rose, Mal and her sister and brother safe and who is the man returning to the cabin? Is he the killer or someone who has been helping the dead mother? All these questions and many others are answered as the story unravels.

Like all of William Kent Krueger’s books “the sense of place is great” as are the characters and the book addresses many other issues outside of the murder, including religion and spirituality and the presence of good and evil. I’ve loved each and every one of Krueger’s books, since the first one I read Purgatory Ridge, for just that reason. So give his work a try!

Here’s William Kent Krueger, who can tell you more about the book then I can

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diapers and formula all neatly arranged and soon Jenny finds a baby. Soon someone else comes looking for the baby and Jenny must flee the area of the cabin.  But where is her father and are Rose, Mal and her sister and brother safe and who is the man returning to the cabin? Is he the killer or someone who has been helping the dead mother? All these questions and many others are answered as the story unravels.

Like all of William Kent Krueger’s books “the sense of place is great” as are the characters and the book addresses many other issues outside of the murder, including religion and spirituality and the presence of good and evil. I’ve loved each and every one of Krueger’s books, since the first one I read Purgatory Ridge, for just that reason. So give his work a try!

Here’s William Kent Krueger, who can tell you more about the book then I can

The post Book 30 – Northwest Angle – William Kent Krueger appeared first on .

It’s been a busy day at the College of William and Mary a nice luncheon on the grounds near the Wren Building and the President’s House and then a rout of Villanova that turned into a nail biter that ended ok as W&M won 31-24!

So there was not a lot of time for music, but I did finish Book 35 last night William Kent Krueger’s latest Vermilion Drift. The Cork O’Connor is one of my favorite series. The books all ways have much more than just a mystery in them as Krueger explores the complexities of life through Cork O’Connor.

The Story

The story opens with Cork being hired by Max Cavanaugh the owner of  Vermilion One a mine that the government is considering as a nuclear waste deposit site, hiring Cork to find his missing sister Lauren. Cork has also been called in by the mine officials to investigate  threats against the owners of the mine. Soon forty year old bodies are found in the Vermilion Drift (horizontal mine shafts)and they lead back to The Vanishings that occurred on the reservation forty years ago and the solution to the murders leads Cork to explore his past!

My Thoughts

Vermilion Drift is the tenth book in this series and while it may not be necessary to read all the books in order you may want to read Heaven’s Keep book 9 before this one to know what’s gone on in Cork’s life . But like all the books the characters and the stories are both great and I hope that Krueger keeps the series alive!

…

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Cork O’Connor

📚 Discovering William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger is the author of a long-running series featuring ex-Sheriff, private investigator, husband, and father Cork O’Connor of Tamarack County, Minnesota.

The first book I read in the series was Purgatory Ridge. I thought it was one of the best books I had ever read. I quickly went back to the beginning and read Iron Lake and Boundary Waters. From that point on, I have kept up religiously with each new release. At the time of writing, Heaven’s Keep was the most recent — and perhaps the best yet.

What stands out in these books are the rich, believable characters — from Cork and his wife Jo to their kids and my personal favorite, Henry Meloux. Krueger’s writing is exceptional, and each book operates on several levels: gripping mysteries, personal relationships, and thoughtful exploration of Cork’s Ojibwe heritage.

Two of my favorites in the series are Mercy Falls and Copper River, where the storyline flows seamlessly across both novels. Krueger is easily an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.

In praise of Red Knife:

“The Cork O’Connor mysteries are known for their rich characterizations and their complex stories with deep moral and emotional cores. This one is no exception… If you don’t know Cork O’Connor, get to know him now.”
— Booklist

📚 William Kent Krueger: My Journey with Cork O’Connor & Beyond

I discovered William Kent Krueger back in 2010 when I picked up Purgatory Ridge — the third book in his Cork O’Connor series. It hit me hard: one of the best books I’d ever read. I quickly backtracked and read the first two, Iron Lake and Boundary Waters, and from then on, I was all in.

I’ve since read every single Cork O’Connor novel. Each one has continued to build on the rich landscape of northern Minnesota, the layered relationships within Cork’s family, and his ongoing dialogue between two worlds — law and justice, Irish and Ojibwe, past and future. The character of Henry Meloux remains a personal favorite.

Among my favorites are Mercy Falls and Copper River, which form a continuous arc — a rare and welcome feature in crime fiction. And at the time I wrote my first post about Krueger, I thought Heaven’s Keep might have been the best yet. It turns out there were many more just as good still to come.

For years, I put off reading Krueger’s standalone novels, unsure if they could live up to the series. But eventually, I gave in — and of course, I loved them. Ordinary Grace and The River We Remember are powerful, moving stories, told with the same grace and heart that defines his best Cork novels.

“The Cork O’Connor mysteries are known for their rich characterizations and their complex stories with deep moral and emotional cores. This one is no exception… If you don’t know Cork O’Connor, get to know him now.” — Booklist

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