Mercy Falls

David Chandler provides a strong performance of Krueger's latest Cork O'Connor novel. The fifth in the series finds the Minnesota sheriff with Ojibwe family ties involved in an investigation that becomes dangerously personal. After his partner is shot and a car bomb nearly kills his daughter, it's clear that someone is out to get him. Chandler is spot-on in the action-packed manhunt for this brutal killer, and compassionate in his characterization of Cork as the underpinnings of his life begin to erode. Chandler's narration highlights the characters' humanity, foibles, and self-doubts, as well as their sudden, often surprising, insights. Murder and kidnapping in the Minnesota North Woods, fully realized characters, and an ending that will stun listeners combine to take this a step beyond the ordinary mystery. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

August 1, 2005
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.