This is the 20^th book in the series featuring Cork O’Connor. Set in northern Minnesota, these mysteries highlight issues facing the interplay of the white population and the Ojibwe. Cork O’Connor, half Irish and half Ojibwe, always finds himself negotiating the two worlds. I have read about ten of these books and although I missed many leading up to this story, the previous books also stand alone. The similarity in them all is a murder, the terrain of the state, and the current treatment of the Ojibwe tribe .

This book is no different. At front and center is an exploration of Ojibwe culture and tradition in a hostile environment. In this story, an oil pipeline is going to be built through sacred Ojibwe land and two young women are kidnapped. One is a senator’s daughter, widely investigated; the other is a young Ojibwe teenager who is ignored.

The set up: 

Cork is no longer a sheriff but after years in law enforcement has solid connections. A lot is happening in the O’Connor household. His son, Stephen, and his civil rights attorney fiancé are getting married. In the weeks before the wedding, they spend their days demonstrating at the building site of an oil pipeline destined to damage Ojibwe land, their water, and general way of life. Daughter Anne and her partner Maria have come home from Guatemala for the wedding. Anne is withholding a secret.

Cork takes his grandson, Waaboo, blueberry picking on some abandoned farmland and Waaboo hears a girl’s spirit call to him. This is a gift also experienced by Stephen and is a way into the mystery. A girl’s body is found in that spot.  Cork and law enforcement authorities slowly uncover a more widespread problem, that lead to suspicions of human trafficking. Henry Meloux, a tribal elder and recurring character in all the books tries to protect Waaboo, and other members of the O’Connor from danger.

 I have been concerned about writers who are maligned if they write outside their culture and identity (i.e. Jeanine Cummins who wrote American Dirt after years of research). Gratefully, this hasn’t happened to Krueger.

As Krueger says,

” The story centers on an issue of great importance in the Native American community—Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Before I tackled the writing of this novel, I spoke with a number of my friends in the Ojibwe community, questioning whether, as a white guy, I had the right to deal with this subject. I heard from them nothing but encouragement. And so I’ve done my best to present a story that I hope is not only a compelling mystery but will also serve to broaden the awareness of this tragic situation, which affects nearly every Native community on this continent.“

These books open the door to new cultures embedded in a good old fashioned murder mystery. This one, in particular, excels by juggling multiple stories at a quick pace.

While many relevant issues are raised, it is at its heart a murder mystery.