Thunder Bay

Starred review from May 21, 2007
The deftly plotted seventh Cork O'Connor novel represents a return to top form for Anthony-winner Krueger after 2006's disappointing Copper River
. Henry Meloux asks Cork, who's now working as a part-time PI in his hometown of Aurora, Minn., to find a son the aged Ojibwe healer has never met from a relationship with a white woman, Maria Lima, “seventy-three winters” earlier. Armed with just two clues, a location in Canada and a gold watch with a picture of Maria, O'Connor soon finds the son, a retired mining entrepreneur, but arranging a meeting between son and father proves to be a challenging and surprisingly dangerous task. The book's middle third focuses on Meloux's past: how he became a guide for white men looking for gold in Canada, how he met and fell in love with one of their daughters, and the events that separated the young lovers. Despite the preponderance of back story, the action builds to a violent and satisfying denouement.

July 1, 2007
While at death's door, longtime Obijwe healer Henry Meloux asks Minnesotia PI Cork O'Connor ("Copper River") to find the son he fathered 70 years ago. Clues take Cork to Thunder Bay in Canada where the son, ultrawealthy Henry Wellington, lives as a recluse on an island. Despite a long digression involving Meloux's involvement with Marie, the mother of his child, as well as the Wellington family, Krueger keeps up the pace and the suspense. He also manages to integrate native visions and the ability to heal into the story without losing believability. Crisp writing and original plots make this a series to watch. Krueger lives in St. Paul.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.