Review: Blood Hollow

Winning the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel is not a bad way to begin a mystery-writing career. William Kent Krueger has wholly earned these awards with the conception of the Corcoran O'Connor.. Events unfold naturally, yet tautly with Blood Hollow, the fourth installment in the series; Krueger explores Cork’s inner and outer struggles in the midst of a murder that brings a small town's long hidden secrets to the surface. With crime fiction series leads done and done again, Krueger's insightful portrayal of Cork O’Connor feels fresh and vibrant.

With his recent livelihood presiding over the burger joint called Sam's Place, Cork has just about all it would take to keep a man content. He spends a lot of time with his children, Jenny, Annie and Stevie. He’s slowly piecing his marriage with his lawyer wife, Jo, back together and he’s financially stable. But, Cork can’t keep his heart and mind on the tasks at hand when a local teenage girl, Charlotte Kane, goes missing on New Year’s Eve. Her body is found month’s later and the newly elected Sheriff, Arne Soderberg, is eager to wrap the case up. Too eager, in Cork’s estimation. As the former Sheriff, Cork’s feelings run strong and he can’t keep away from this case.

Conveniently, the evidence leads to local rebel with a cause, Solemn Winter Moon. Having broken up with Charlotte just weeks before her disappearance, and having been seen fighting with her the night she drove off, angry, on her snowmobile, the case seems cut and dried. But for Cork, there is a big problem. His gut tells him Solemn is innocent. Until Solemn runs. Feeling duty bound to seek him out; Cork finally encounters Solemn by a brook that runs through the woods. Henry Meloux, an Ojibwe Midewiwin (spiritual guide) and Cork’s touchstone, sent Solemn on a vision quest and his quest was fulfilled in Minnetonkas. When Solemn claims to have seen a vision of Jesus Christ in Blood Hollow, the mystery becomes thornier than Cork could ever have anticipated.

The small-town mentality and deep-seated bigotry he encounters complicate an already complicated case. Jo, acting as Solemn’s attorney, urges restraint, until the most likely suspects expand to include the local priest and the Sheriff. With almost everyone in the small town against him, Cork digs and digs through layers of family lies and illicit relationships until the truth of what really happened that cold winter night begins to take shape. And that truth puts Cork and all that he holds dear in the sights of a killer with no remorse.

This series stands apart from everything else on the shelves because of Krueger’s ability to draw you into the story. Every character is multifaceted and their interactions with Cork and each other tell many sub-stories. With each novel, more is revealed and they appear as old friends and long standing enemies in each new installment. Krueger is a master in the mystery genre.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jennifer Jordan

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: Blood Hollow

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.