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Book Summary and Reviews of Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger

Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger

Tamarack County

by William Kent Krueger

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  • Aug 2013, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

"Like many men and women who've worn a badge for a good part of their lives, Corcoran Liam O'Connor was cursed. Twice cursed, in reality. Cursed with memory and cursed with imagination."

Tamarack County, Minnesota, the gateway to the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Within its borders lie a million acres of deep forest, a thousand crystal clear lakes, and a few quiet towns. This is the place that, for most of his life, sheriff-turned-private investigator Cork O'Connor has called home.

As a blizzard swells just days before Christmas, the car belonging to the wife of a retired local judge is discovered abandoned on a rural road. After days without any leads, the search-and-rescue team, assisted by O'Connor, has little hope of finding her alive, if at all.

Early on, Cork notices small details about the woman's disappearance that tell a disturbing story. And when the beloved pet dog of a friend is found decapitated, he begins to detect a startling pattern of ominous incidents throughout the area. Then Cork's son is nearly killed, and he knows this is no trick of his imagination. Someone is spinning a deadly web in Tamarack County. At the center is a murder more than twenty years old for which an innocent man may have been convicted. Cork remembers the case only too well. He was the deputy in charge of the investigation that sent the man to prison.

As the threat of violence continues, so does life in the O'Connor household. Anne, Cork's younger daughter, comes home, having determined that she's going to leave her religious order. Teenaged Stephen is in love for the first time, and Cork is being courted as well, even as he struggles to redefine life without his wife, killed several years ago. What they all discover is that love, too, can be a curse. It can cause the greatest euphoria and the most profound despair. It can inspire forgiveness and understanding, passion and desire. It can provoke jealousy and rage. It can bring on betrayal and even murder.

With the darkest days of the year at hand, the storms of winter continue to isolate Tamarack County. Somewhere behind the blind of all the darkness and drifting snow, a vengeful force is at work, and Cork has only hours to stop it before his family and his friends will be forced to pay the ultimate price for the sins of others.

Full of riveting suspense, fascinating characters, and set in a gorgeous yet unforgiving landscape, Tamarack County is an outstanding addition to an award-winning series that mystery lovers can't get enough of.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Krueger's evident empathy for the Ojibwe and their traditions and values blends seamlessly with horrific violence played out against O'Connor's struggles to heal his family's wounds - and his own." - Publishers Weekly

"Lacking mystery and low on suspense, this installment reads more like a family in extremis soap opera larded with Native American lore. Wait till next year." - Kirkus

"Mystery fans can count on William Kent Krueger for an absorbing book with lots of twists and turns. He's an author who isn't afraid to take chances with his characters." - Denver Post

"A pitch-perfect, wonderfully evocative examination of violent loss. In Frank Drum's journey away from the shores of childhood - a journey from which he can never return - we recognize the heartbreaking price of adulthood and it's 'wisdoms.' I loved this book." - Dennis Lehane

This information about Tamarack County was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews
Murders, children coming back home, folks getting run off the road, revenge for a 20-year-old murder, and many unusual things happening in the bitter cold county of Tamarack in Northern Minnesota.

What was happening in this town that usually was a quiet place to be? No one knew the answer, and the police had no clue either. Even Cork, a retired deputy sheriff, was called in for the investigation that he was more involved with than he knew.

Cork O’Connor wasn't aware that his family would be involved and that part of his family was changing. Cork is a character you would personally want as a friend. He is a great father as well as a dedicated law man.

TAMARACK COUNTY is the second book I have read by Mr. Krueger. It is quite different from ORDINARY GRACE, but still beautifully detailed and written.

Mr. Krueger's characters are always an interesting lot. I enjoyed learning about the Indian traditions and a few Indian words. The landscape descriptions were amazing, but I wouldn't want to live in that cold climate, though, which seemed to be a major theme.

TAMARACK COUNTY definitely kept my attention with a good storyline but a storyline that wasn't gripping until the last half of the book when things did heat up in those freezing temperatures as the mystery unraveled as well as the history of the characters.

The characters were well developed, authentic, and very plausible. TAMARACK COUNTY is a book about community and family all working together for the good of each other.

TAMARACK COUNTY has religious and philosophical themes as subplots.

A quote from page 205 is quite meaningful and something I believe needs to be shared:

“Anger, hate, jealousy envy, fear. Fill your pockets with these heavy stones and you spend your life trying not to drown. Throw them away, and you float."

I hope you get to read this book. It was thought provoking, introspective, and will hold your interest. I enjoyed it. 4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Author Information

William Kent Krueger Author Biography

Photo: Paul Dinndorf

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of a dozen Cork O'Connor novels, including Northwest Angle and Trickster's Point, as well as the novel Ordinary Grace. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family.

Link to William Kent Krueger's Website

Name Pronunciation
William Kent Krueger: kru-ger

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