The sixth novel in William Kent Krueger’s award-winning suspense series finds Cork O’Connor running for his life — straight into a murderous conspiracy involving teenage runaways. In well-crafted settings that are beautiful and unforgiving, with unforgettable characters and jaw-dropping surprises, William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor thrillers have drawn a flood of awards and praise. The … awards and praise. The latest in the series finds the sheriff running for his life from professional hit men who have already put a bullet through his leg. Desperate, he finds sanctuary outside a small town called Bodine on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in an old resort owned by his cousin, Jewell DuBois. Though Jewell, a bitter widow whose husband may have been killed by cops, keeps Cork at arm’s length, her fourteen-year-old son, Ren, is looking for a friend. But being a father figure to Ren will prove more difficult than Cork could possibly imagine.
When the body of a young girl surfaces along the banks of the Copper River and another teenager vanishes, Cork must choose between helping to solve these deadly mysteries and thwarting the hit men who draw closer to him with every hour. Recklessly, he turns from his own worries and focuses on tracking the conspiracy of killers before Ren and his best friend, Charlie, fall victim. It’s an error — one a good man might make — but as the contract killers who are hunting him close in, Cork realizes too late that it may be the last mistake he’ll ever make.
The trail left by the dead girl eventually leads to a shelter for homeless youth and into the grim reality of children lost and abandoned, who become easy prey for the perverted appetites of human predators. All small towns have buried secrets but, as Cork soon learns, this one has more than its share.more
I read this on my way to Copper Harbor. While on the run for his life and hiding on the Keweenaw peninsula, Cork is drawn into an investigation of missing young women.
I have been reading this series so fast that I am way behind on writing the reviews. Since I have already forgotten details on the earlier books, I am skipping over a couple. Just a caveat, I have loved them all! William Kent Krueger is an exceptional writer that reels you in and doesn’t let go.
In Copper River, Cork is on the run. In the previous book, Mercy Falls, he got mixed up with the wealthy Jacoby family of Chicago as he tried to solve the murder of the youngest Jacoby, Eddie who was in Tamarack County trying to negotiate a contract with the Ojibwe’s and the local casino. When he is found murdered, Cork, as the new Sheriff is called in. He soon discovers that his wife, Jo, has a past with the older Jacoby brother Ben and it seems all is downhill from there.
The Jacoby’s bring in their own investigator, Dina Willner, a former FBI investigator, who Cork is not sure he can trust, but he has no choice to but to work for her. An attempt is made on his life and book five leads right into this book, number six.
I loved this book even though Cork was away from his family and on different turf. He takes off for the small town of Bodine, Michigan where his estranged cousin, Jewell DuBois lives. Hoping she will give him shelter for a while he settles in with her and her 14-year-old son. Little does he know, but he has landed in the middle of another town with missing teenage girls.
Dina Willner from the last book, and now his good friend, comes up to help keep him and his cousin safe and between the two of them they begin investigating the missing girls. I really enjoyed all the moving parts of this book with the new characters, Dina’s friendship and the mystery of the missing girls. The ending was a bit climactic, but a win as usual for Cork. I gave this book four stars.
Copper River is part of the Cork O’Connor series. Each book, including this one, provides a fast-paced, keep-turning-the-pages suspense and mystery. They also include a world different from where most of us live. The land around Lake Superior is full of nature and native lore, still inhabited (of a sort) by the people who were there first. Krueger blends the story of the area and its people with the tension of a well-crafted story. If you haven’t read this series before, now is the time to begin.
Great read. The mystery unfolds in layers. The characters are realistic. The story is gripping and happening to unwanted children everywhere. A sub-plot of Cork O’Conner’s problems runs parallel to the main story. Always a twisty turning ride.
Interesting!