Sunday, July 20, 2014

VERMILION DRIFT by William Kent Krueger

Finished Sa 7/19/14
A Cork O'Connor Mystery

Set in the Iron Mountain Range, Tamarack County, Minnesota. The area is near land controlled by the Ojibwe Indians.

Five bodies are found in an abandoned mine shaft ('drifts'-the horizontal sections of the shafts; 'shaft'-vertical sections). Four of the bodies have been there for almost fifty years, and the other body is only a week old. One of the older skeletons is the mother of the recent victim, and they were both killed by the same weapon. A 38 caliber handgun which belonged to Cork's father, Liam.

Lauren Cavanaugh and her mother, Monique were sexual deviants. Monique was involved with an evil Indian named Isaiah Broom. They preyed on women and children, and they tortured and sexually abused them.

Cork has issues about his father. He has a reoccurring dream that his father is falling and he can do nothing to help, and he might have pushed him.

Cork was actually present when Monique and Isaiah were murdered by the righteous Indians. A holy man, Henry Meloux, made him forget, and in the end of the novel, his memory is brought back.

Lauren was actually shot twice, by two different people. Grazed by Ophelia Stillday (granddaughter of Hattie) in a lovers quarrel. She flees, drops the gun, and later Lauren calls her brother. He comes and she threatens suicide and Max's hand is also on the gun when it fires.

Hattie is a world renown photographer and has been imprisoned for her passionate belief in human rights issues.

The Vermilion Mine is located in a very geological stable area and the department of energy is exploring the idea of storing nuclear waste in the area. This is how the abandoned 'killing ground' was discovered.

A satisfying read and I would definitely read another O'Connor Mystery. I picked this up at the library sidewalk sale in June of this year (2014).

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