The William Kent Krueger Collection #2: Blood Hollow, Mercy Falls, and Copper River (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series)

Three unforgettable Cork O'Connor mysteries in one thrilling collection! Blood Hollow : When the corpse of a beautiful high school student is discovered after her disappearance on New Year's Eve, all evidence points to her boyfriend, local bad boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's self-incriminating decision to go into hiding, Cork O'Connor, Aurora, Minnesota's former sheriff, isn't about to hang the crime on a kid he's convinced is innocent. In an uphill battle to clear Solemn's name, Cork encounters no shortage of adversity. Mercy Falls : Sheriff Cork O'Connor is called to investigate a mutilated body found perched above the raging waters of Mercy Falls. The victim is Eddie Jacoby, a Chicago businessman involved in negotiating an unpopular contract between his management firm and the local Indian casino. Sparks fly when the wealthy Jacoby family hires a beautiful investigator to consult on the case. But once Cork discovers ties between one of the Jacoby sons and his own wife, Jo, he begins to suspect that the events in Aurora have a darker, more personal motive than he could ever have imagined. Copper River : Sheriff Cork O'Connor is 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, a bitter widow whose husband may have been killed by cops. 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. A brilliant new installment in the prize-winning Cork O'Connor series -- from the acclaimed author of The Devil's Bed and Purgatory Ridge -- immerses readers in an eerie mystery surrounding a racially charged murder in small-town Minnesota. Winner of the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, William Kent Krueger is a wholly original talent among mystery writers, managing to fuse inspired, fluid storytelling with complex, finely textured characterizations. Now, in a briskly paced novel that outstrips even its predecessors in its ability to ratchet up the suspense, Krueger takes us back to Aurora, Minnesota, where the charismatic Cork O'Connor encounters his most baffling case to date. When the corpse of a beautiful high school student is discovered on a hillside four months after her disappearance on New Year's Eve, all evidence points to her boyfriend, local bad boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's self-incriminating decision to go into hiding, Cork O'Connor, Aurora's former sheriff, isn't about to hang the crime on the kid, whom O'Connor is convinced is innocent. In an uphill battle to clear Solemn's name, Cork encounters no shortage of adversity. Some he knows all too well -- small-town bigotry and bureaucracy foremost among them. What Cork isn't prepared for is the emergence of a long-held resentment hailing from his own childhood. And when Solemn reappears, claiming to have seen a vision of Jesus Christ in Blood Hollow, the mystery becomes thornier than Cork could ever have anticipated. And that's when the miracles start happening ... Praised by critics and peers alike for his bold and insightful writing, William Kent Krueger has become a master of mixing brilliant, evocative prose with stunning, nonstop suspense. Readers are sure to be riveted by his latest foray into the darkest corners of a small-town paradise and the detective who is determined to bring it all to light Mercy falls: "Back on the beat as sheriff of Tamarack County, Cork O'Connor has already seen his beautiful Northwoods jurisdiction through an eventful summer. Now, as the chill of autumn sweeps through the countryside, he's about to face a season of murder, adultery, and deceit that will take him from seedy backwoods bars and humble reservation shanties to the highest and most corrupt echelons of Chicago society. Lured to the nearby Ojibwe reservation on what appears to be a routine domestic disturbance call, Cork finds himself the target of a sniper's deadly fire. He has little time to worry about his own precarious situation, however. Soon after the shooting, he's called to investigate a mutilated body found perched above the raging waters of Mercy Falls. The victim is Eddie Jacoby, a Chicago businessman involved in negotiating an unpopular contract between his management firm and the local Indian casino. Now Cork must deal with a high-profile murder contaminated with the blood of the rich and powerful. Sparks fly when the wealthy Jacoby family insists on hiring a beautiful private investigator named Dina Willner to consult on the case. But once Cork discovers an old and passionate tie between one of the Jacoby sons and his own wife, Jo, he begins to suspect that the events in Aurora have a darker, more personal motive than he could ever have imagined. With his life at stake and the safety of his family in question, Cork must squelch the growing suspicion that another man desperately wants his wife, and at the same time resist the passion heating up between himself and Dina. Murder, greed, sex, and jealousy all play a part in the maze of danger and intrigue Cork is caught in. But somewhere, hidden beneath the turbulent depths of Mercy Falls, lie the answers, and Cork is determined to find them."-- Description provided by publisher Three unforgettable Cork O'Connor mysteries in one eBook! Blood Hollow : When the corpse of a beautiful high school student is discovered after her disappearance on New Year's Eve, all evidence points to her boyfriend, local bad boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's self-incriminating decision to go into hiding, Cork O'Connor, Aurora, Minnesota's former sheriff, isn't about to hang the crime on a kid he's convinced is innocent. In an uphill battle to clear Solemn's name, Cork encounters no shortage of adversity. Mercy Falls : Sheriff Cork O'Connor is called to investigate a mutilated body found perched above the raging waters of Mercy Falls. The victim is Eddie Jacoby, a Chicago businessman involved in negotiating an unpopular contract between his management firm and the local Indian casino. Sparks fly when the wealthy Jacoby family hires a beautiful investigator to consult on the case. But once Cork discovers ties between one of the Jacoby sons and his own wife, Jo, he begins to suspect that the events in Aurora have a darker, more personal motive than he could ever have imagined. Copper River : Sheriff Cork O'Connor is 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, a bitter widow whose husband may have been killed by cops. 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 Copper Ridge: "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 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."-- Description provided by publisher

Tough-as-nails Former Small-town Sheriff Cork O'connor Is Forced Into The Center Of An Eerie Mystery With A Shocking Twist In This Vivid And Realistic (booklist) Anthony Award-winning Novel From Critically Acclaimed Author William Kent Krueger

When The Corpse Of A Beautiful High School Student Is Discovered On A Hillside Four Months After Her Disappearance On New Year's Eve, All Evidence Points To Her Boyfriend, Local Bad Boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's Self-incriminating Decision To Go Into Hiding, Cork O'connor, Aurora, Minnesota's Former Sheriff, Isn't About To Hang The Crime On A Kid He's Convinced Is Innocent. In An Uphill Battle To Clear Solemn's Name, Cork Encounters No Shortage Of Adversity. Some — Like Bigotry And Bureaucracy — He Knows All Too Well. What Cork Isn't Prepared For Is The Emergence Of A Long-held Resentment From His Own Childhood. And When Solemn Reappears, Claiming To Have Seen A Vision Of Jesus Christ In Blood Hollow, The Mystery Becomes Thornier Than Cork Could Ever Have Anticipated. And That's When The Miracles Start Happening...

the New York Times

writing As A Naturalist, Krueger Draws On Indian Legends To Communicate The Mystery Of The North Woods; As A Humanist, He Looks To The Spirits Of The Ancients To Heal All Wounds. — marilyn Stasio

When a high school student's body is found and her boyfriend goes missing, tough-as-nails former sheriff Cork O'Connor is forced into the center of an eerie mystery with a shocking twist in this "vivid and realistic" ( Booklist ), Anthony Award-winning novel from New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger. When the body of a beautiful high school student is discovered on a hillside four months after her disappearance on New Year's Eve, all evidence points to her boyfriend, local bad boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's self-incriminating decision to go into hiding, Cork O'Connor isn't about to hang the crime on a kid he's convinced is innocent. In an uphill battle to clear Solemn's name, Cork encounters no shortage of adversity. Some—like bigotry and bureaucracy—he knows all too well. What Cork isn't prepared for is the emergence of a long-held resentment from his own childhood. And when Solemn reappears, claiming to have seen a vision of Jesus Christ in Blood Hollow, the mystery becomes thornier than Cork could ever have anticipated. And that's when the miracles start happening. Blood Hollow: "Tough-as-nails former small-town sheriff Cork O'Connor is forced into the center of an eerie mystery with a shocking twist in this Anthony Award-winning novel from critically acclaimed author William Kent Krueger. When the corpse of a beautiful high school student is discovered on a hillside four months after her disappearance on New Year's Eve, all evidence points to her boyfriend, local bad boy Solemn Winter Moon. Despite Solemn's self-incriminating decision to go into hiding, Cork O'Connor, Aurora, Minnesota's former sheriff, isn't about to hang the crime on a kid he's convinced is innocent. In an uphill battle to clear Solemn's name, Cork encounters no shortage of adversity. Some-- like bigotry and bureaucracy-- he knows all too well. What Cork isn't prepared for is the emergence of a long-held resentment from his own childhood. And when Solemn reappears, claiming to have seen a vision of Jesus Christ in Blood Hollow, the mystery becomes thornier than Cork could ever have anticipated. And that's when the miracles start happening ..."-- Description provided by publisher After 17-year-old Charlotte Kane--the beautiful, brilliant, and brooding daughter of a rich widower--disappears on a drunken New Years' Eve snowmobile ride, a raging blizzard soon snuffs out all search efforts. When her body is found during the spring thaw four months later, preliminary evidence implicates her ex-boyfriend--Ojibwe bad-boy, Solemn Winter Moon. But then a second Charlotte Kane turns up dead, and Cork isn't sure of anything any more Dismissing circumstantial evidence that incriminates a young man in the murder of his girlfriend in Aurora, Minnesota, former sheriff Cork O'Connor confronts local bigotry and bureaucracy in order to find the true killer