Mercy Falls

Book 5, I'm working my way through this series and loving it. This was an interesting book, focusing more on Cork and Jo than previous ones.
Cork has been reinstated as Sheriff, a job that really is his calling, but Jo, his wife worries about. She worries because Cork throws all he has into the job, sometimes forgetting/neglecting his family.
Right at the start, Cork and a deputy are responding to a call on the reservation. Shots are fired and the deputy is shot. As the investigation unravels, it becomes clear that really Cork was the target; confirming Jo's worst fears.
There is a gruesome murder shortly after, and as that case unravels, questions arise as to whether the two are connected. The victim is the brother of someone who was show more once very close to Jo.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this book. Cork is at a crossroads. show less

Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger is the fifth book in the Cork O’Connor series and I know that I will be picking up book number six soon as it is apparent that the story arcs over into the next book. I enjoyed this dark story but I did have a few problems with it but nothing that will keep me from continuing on with the series.

It starts with a domestic dispute that all too soon is exposed as a ruse. Someone wanted Cork O’Connor to be exposed to their rifle fire, but they made a mistake and instead shot the deputy that Cork was riding with. They have barely started the investigation into this shooting when Cork and his crew find themselves dealing with a murder. Eddy Jacoby is a slimy businessman but he is killed in a particularly show more horrible way. All too soon it becomes obvious that both these crimes are linked. By the end of the book, Cork knows who the perpetrator is, but he has also made a powerful enemy and both he and his family are in danger. The book ends with Cork leaving to go into hiding until the truth totally comes out.

I found Cork a little too righteous and far to self-important in this book. He takes his job of sheriff very seriously which is good, but he also seems to think that he is the only one who can do the job. I also have problems with his wife, Jo. Although I feel bad saying this due to what happened to her in this book but she obviously is like catnip to the opposite sex as this is not the first book where she proves to be irresistible. That said, the descriptive writing is excellent and I am looking forward to continuing on with the next book. show less

Risking his life is nothing new to Cork O’Connor but, being in law enforcement, it’s usually on someone else’s behalf. One attempt to kill him leaves a deputy near death, another nearly takes one of his children. But that’s not all that robs him of sleep. There’s a mutilated body out at Mercy Falls that has him perplexed. And one of Jo’s old boyfriends is in town. He hasn’t bothered to disguise the torch he still carries for her, not even to Cork’s face. Yes, it’s been a challenging week for the sheriff of Aurora... and it’s not over yet.

If you’ve been following my reading this year then you already know that I. Love. This. Series. So, I’m not sure what new I can say. At the very least I can reassure you that the show more story hasn’t declined in quality – not in plot or pacing, setting or dialogue. Oh no, Krueger still has this rollercoaster firmly on the rails and I recommend you get in line. It’s quite the ride! show less

Summary: Mercy Falls, number five in the Cork O’Connor series finds Cork in a hitman’s sights and danger to his wife in the form of her old flame.

Cork O’Connor, despite reservations from but with the support of Jo O’Connor, is once again sheriff of Tamarack County. One of his practices is to go on calls to the Ojibwe land since he is part Ojibwe. He and deputy answer a domestic violence call. When the deputy, Marsha Dross goes to the house, she is shot by a sniper and Cork must call for help, fight off the attacker, and render first aid. In the end, she survives–barely. But as the investigation proceeds, it is clear the bullet was meant for him. But why?

Meanwhile, Jo is working with a sleazy client, Eddie Jacoby, representing show more a company that wants to take over the tribal casino management, which has struggled. Then, he is found dead by the overlook to Mercy Falls, gruesomely murdered. There is evidence he’d been with a woman. His rich father and brother arrive from Chicago, along with a “consultant.” Former FBI agent Dina Winter is there to “assist” the investigation and get results. Eddie, for all his troubles, had a special relationship with his father. But the other brother, Ben, is trouble in his own way. Ben and Jo had been in a relationship during law school, before he walked away, and Cork came into her life.

A bomb under the hood of the Cork’s car convinces the family this would be a good time for college visits in the Chicago area, staying with Jo’s sister, now married to Mal. Meanwhile, Cork, now free of family concerns (or so he thinks), goes on a hunt for the sniper. Henry Meloux joins him along with Dina and a deputy. She reveals her skills and there is a growing connection between her and Cork. What Cork hasn’t reckoned with is the danger Jo faces as she comes within reach of the Jacobys.

Krueger explores the complicated relationships between fathers and sons, especially when those relationships come laden with expectations. We also wonder what will happen between Jo and Ben, and between Cork and Dina. These will prove not to be the only tests to the marriage.

This was one of those stories that doesn’t end with the book (I won’t say how). But I’ve got book six in waiting. I just hope Krueger doesn’t do this too often! show less

The fifth book in the Cork O'Connor series finds Cork newly reinstated as sheriff. When he responds to a call, the law enforcement with him is shot and wounded, apparently in a hit against Cork. While investigating who could be after him, Cork also has to deal with the murder of Eddie Jacoby, a guy who was working with his wife, Jo, a lawyer for the nearby Ojibwe reservation and who wanted to have his company working with the casino.

I've been really enjoying these evocative northern Minnesota mysteries, and this one was no exception. I was kept guessing 'til near the end and hadn't figured quite everything out. The cliffhanger ending was maddeningly unnecessary... come on, man - I've read five books, don't you think I'm invested at this show more point? Anyway, of course I'll be continuing. show less

William Kent Kreuger's mystery series featuring Cork O'Connor seemed, in my mind, to start out relatively slowly. I felt that it wasn't until his fourth or fifth book that he really hit his stride. I'm very thankful that I had bought up his complete series before beginning to read them (based on an enthusiastic review I read of a later book).. otherwise I might have given up on the series early on and missed some really great stories. And in hindsight even the early books have a great deal to offer.

The novels are set in rural, northern Minnesota for the most part with the action shifting to The U.P. of Michigan in one story and to Wyoming in another. Mr. Kreuger gives Cork O'Connor a family life that is anything but 'storybook'. From show more one end to the other this is a loving, but modern family, with real life modern problems that they do manage to get resolved. Fairly early in the series, the stories begin increasingly encompassing Cork's and his family's Native American connection to good advantage!

This is a very good and satisfying series which I gobbled up faster and faster towards the end. Now I have to sit and eagerly await the next Cork O'Connor adventure. This is a series where the books could be read as stand alones, but for maximum enjoyment I would strongly recommend reading them in the order that they were written. show less

Made the mistake of reading #6 before this one, so the ending was no surprise. Disappointed more in myself than the novel.

Kreuger successfully weaves two mysteries into one with /Mercy Falls/ when, first, there is an attempt on Cork’s life. Then, a mutilated body shows up. At first, there seems to be no connection, but as Cork investigates he finds strange overlaps in his working theories.

To further complicate things, the dead man is the son of a powerful Chicago mobster and half-brother to an old flame of Jo’s. Kreuger seems to have brainstormed as many bizarre complications as possible, then proceeded to artfully pull them together.

By far, my favorite addition with this book is Dina Willner. Here’s hoping she sticks around to show more help Cork for many more stories to come. show less