My rating: 3.5/5
Having enjoyed the lyrical prose in his historical fiction novels, I was interested in reading the Cork O’Connor thriller/mystery series. A series with an impressive twenty books thus far, I was elated to read book two in the series Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger.
Boundary Waters is a thrilling story set in Aurora, Minnesota amongst the treacherous terrain of the Minnesota wilderness. When a popular young country music star, Shiloh, goes missing, local authorities request the assistance of former sheriff Cork O’Connor in locating the singer. A search party is developed including a couple of FBI agents, an ex-con, a ten-year-old boy, and the worried father of the singer. Their search is challenging, as the group faces the harsh conditions of a rather swift arrival of winter weather within the vastness of the wilderness. More significantly, the search becomes perilous as the team discovers they are being watched and targeted, with the sinister goal in preventing the finding of Shiloh. Secrets surface and the past revisited, for there is a more significant truth to the disappearance of the singer.
With thrilling scenes and a mysterious plot, Boundary Waters effortlessly immerses the reader in this page-turning novel. Descriptive imagery amplifies the scenes with vivid depictions of the Quantico Superior wilderness, with its vast terrains of forest, lakes, and islands. The novel features Native American culture and history through many of the inhabitants of the town of Aurora who are of Native American descent, including the main character Cork O’Connor, who is of mixed race of part Irish and Ojibwe. I appreciated the inclusion of a diverse cast of characters that made the story more intriguing. This is a fast-paced novel that easily kept my attention with the suspenseful plot. As with all William Kent Krueger novels, the writing is impeccable. The plot, setting, and characters are superbly developed and made for a magnificent story. Although this is a thriller with some violent scenes, the plot is mainly clean. There were no inappropriate sexual scenes and very little profanity used. There are some spiritual references throughout the novel. I found that there was a mixture of Christianity and Native American religion indicated. Some characters were depicted praying, with one character going to a Catholic church for prayer during a difficult time. There were also many mentions of Native American spiritual references indicated such as the spirits of the wilderness and lakes. Ultimately, I enjoyed this story. If you enjoy novels with thrilling scenes, intriguing mystery, and well-developed diverse characters, I recommend this book.
#Fiction #Thriller #Mystery
