[.ca] Copper River: A Cork O'Connor Mystery (ISBN 1416514465)

Compelling, Small Town Suspense:
Recovering from a gunshot wound to his thigh and hiding from a contract killer, Sheriff Cork O'Connor feels pretty useless these days. He can barely walk out of his cousin Jewell's cabin without collapsing. Not a good situation when cougar tracks are found among the cabins and local teens are either missing, critically injured, or dead over a one-week span in this small town. Cork's worries turn to fear when Jewell's son, Ren, and his friend, Charlie (short for Charlene), see a body in the river and soon realize someone's after them. Trouble mounts as the town's local reporter learns Cork's identity and the reason he's come to Bodine. William Kent Krueger's Copper River is a suspenseful, elegantly written story about family and loss and one man's attempt to do the right thing. The right thing, however, might be the wrong thing and this is partly why the novel is so suspenseful. Another reason is that the reader knows something the main characters don't, a strategy that works well in a book that has few chase scenes or shoot-em-up action to ramp up the excitement. In fact, Bodine's slow pace adds another layer of tension as the adults try to figure out what's really going on before another teen is killed. The author's vivid narrative descriptions, great dialogue, and strong portrayal of psychological turmoil make this a truly compelling story. My only quibble is the predictable timing of the cougar's appearance. Still, Copper River is a terrific read.