Alexander Kingbird, the young self styled leader of the Red Boyz summons Cork to his home for a talk. Alexander wants Cork to arrange a meeting for him with Reinhardt. Cork is eager to get his fledgling P.I. business off the ground, but he is not sure he can arrange the meeting, nor that Alex can deliver the justice he claims he can give Reinhardt. Nonetheless, he agrees to try.

Before Cork can even locate Reinhardt, Alex and his wife Rayette are found dead in an execution style murder. Local law enforcement and the local white population believe Reinhardt to be the murderer and the uneasy relationship between the Ojibwe (specifically the Red Boyz) and the community of Aurora deteriorates quickly. Cork, because he is part Ojibwe and does not want to relinquish his ties with the tribe, is left in the middle. As former sheriff he has ties to law enforcement yet as he delves deeper into the murder he is not convinced that Reinhardt is guilty or that the sheriff’s plan of attack will not worsen the relationship between the Ojibwe and the nonnative population.

In addition he had, at his wife’s request, taken a job which gave him more time with his family and less time in situations that were potentially life threatening. Now with unsettled emotions running high and Cork the bridge between the two he finds himself once again in a hazardous situation.

William Kent Krueger presents a thought provoking dilemma for the small community of Aurora , Minnesota. The native and white population have a different justice system and, while both have their merits, neither can be said superior to the other. The fact that the two must interact with each other inevitably brings differences of opinion. It is informative watching Cork try to straddle the breach between the Ojibwe and Anglos. How he deals with it shows the depth of his character.

Cork carries over his well assessed view of life to his personal life. He offers his children an honest look at his feelings. He does admit he is puzzled, scared and does not know all the answers. His children get to see him as a strong yet vulnerable person, a good role model for themselves. His struggle to do the best for his children is echoed in the Kingbird family. Will Kingbird, though emotionally a much different man than Cork, strives toward the same ideals.

The novel opens with a scene from two hundred years ago. An Ojibwe youth is being taken on his first war party. This is a significant scene as it is replayed two hundred years later in a different, yet eerily similar fashion. The ending is strong, disturbing, and highly relevant to life in American life today. There is no denying the problems. The questions that remain are how the problems are faced.

Krueger does no shy away from difficult issues. While educating his readers in Ojibwe traditions and ways of life he offers possible solutions to problems that will not satisfy everyone,. He expects his readers to ponder the possibilities and, perhaps to develop some answers of their own. Though this is one of many in a series featuring Cork O’Connor it is not necessary to have read any of the preceding entries to enjoy this one. Enough background is given to understand each character without being burdened by a complete biography of each principal character. The ability to successfully carry this feat off is testimony to Krueger’s great skill. Don’t miss this one!

--Andy Plonka