Trickster's Point

I can't believe that I've made it to book 12 already in this series. I read these books fast because they are so good and the mysteries are so complex that I can't wait to get through once I start. In all honesty, this book is my favourite so far. Maybe it's because we get a detailed insight into Cork's younger self, and the juxtaposition against the almost 50 year old Cork makes it seem like we're peering into the past. This is Cork's most personal case so far, and the suspense builds and builds throughout. Even though I guessed who shot the arrow into Cork's old high school friend early on, it did not spoil the suspense for me as there were other storylines and other mysteries that got solved while Cork pursues the truth. I love the show more beautiful descriptions of the Minnesota countryside, and I love all the characters, both good and bad. I am so glad that I have nine more books to read before I catch up to where William Kent Krueger is currently writing. I will keep reading my way through this wonderful series. show less

I am a regular reader of William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor novels.With each novel I feel
like I’m in Minnesota, the boundary waters, Copper River or other places with each book. This may be his very best. The novel begins at a place called Trickster's Point--a giant monolith at which all sorts of mysterious things have a way of happening. In Cork's case, the new occurrences represent a set of serious personal threats. He has come to this place to go bow-hunting with his childhood friend, Jubal Little, but only one will walk away from the experience.

Actually: Jubal Littlewolf, but Jubal is hesitant to announce his native status, though he is extroverted in most of the other aspects of his life. Jubal is a defeater of bullies, a high show more school and college football standout, an NFL player and now a candidate for the governorship of Minnesota. Beyond the state house lies the white house, at least in Jubal's dreams.

Those dreams are not to be, for Jubal is sitting with Cork, dying with an arrow in his chest. The arrow appears to be one of Cork's and Cork will eventually become a suspect in the murder case. Eventually another body will be found--the body of a white man with an arrow in his eye. Yes, it also appears to be one of Cork's.

Cork must thus conduct his personal investigation while the local authorities conduct their own. His search takes him into the past that he shares with Jubal, Jubal's girlfriend, the girlfriend's brother and a host of other individuals all known to each other in their youth.

The most important aspect of the novel, for diehard Krueger fans, is the series of backstories that are woven through the mystery plot. We see Cork as a teenager. We see him as a cop in Chicago; we see him meeting his late wife, Jo. In some ways the personal story contains the key elements of the solution in the mystery story and the intertwined narratives are presented with Krueger's uncommon skill.

As always, the descriptions of the northwoods and the commentaries on Ojibwe culture are wonderful.
Quote: “All life is one weaving, one design by the hand of the Creator, the Great Mystery. All life is connected, thread by thread.” show less

Summary: When Jubal Little, candidate for governor is killed by an arrow while bowhunting with Cork, Cork becomes a murder suspect.

Three hours. That’s how long it took Jubal Little to die. He had an arrow through his heart. By the fledge pattern, it appears to be one of Cork’s arrows. Cork is with him. He wants to get help. But Little insists he stay. Perhaps he knows he is dying and doesn’t want to be left alone. They are at Trickster’s Point, a rock formation that carries memories for both of them.

All this makes Cork prime suspect. Why didn’t he get help? How else can his arrow fledge pattern, distinct among bowhunters, be explained? And whoever did it hunted in an old Ojibwe hunting way–one Cork used. While local show more officials choose not to believe it is him, this is not so for an FBI investigator.

All this takes Cork back to his youth. Jubal was a Montana Blackfoot who had moved to Aurora. They became fast friends. They played football together. Jubal was always faster, stronger, better. They were rivals for the affections of Winona Crane. Cork lost that one, especially after Jubal defended Winona from assault by Donner Bigby. In fact, it was conflict with Donner Bigby that connected Cork and Jubal to Trickster’s Point. Bigby climbed the formation to get away from Jubal. Jubal went after him while Cork waited below. Bigby plummeted from the top, killing him. But did he fall, as both Jubal and Cork told the authorities. or was he pushed?

The two had drifted apart after that. Jubal married into a powerful Minnesota family. Cork had gone to Chicago, met Jo, then returned home. They reconnected and occasionally went hunting when Jubal was in town. Jubal’s visits also signified that he’d never given up Winona. Now, he appeared to be a shoo-in for Minnesota governor, perhaps a stepstone to higher office. He and Cork differed on some political positions, which would hurt the Ojibwe and the natural beauty of the region. Of course, Cork wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Cork finds evidence that he wasn’t the only one at Trickster’s Point. One is in the form of a dead body, shot through the eye by another of corks arrows. But there were also footprints and tire tracks of another. It confirms it was someone else who hunted in the native way. But how had they gotten his arrows, or ones like them? There are multiple suspects, including Donner Bigby’s brother and Winona Crane herself, who had learned to hunt in the old way. There are even political enemies to consider.

He also tries to make sense of Jubal’s dying word: Rhiannon. A few inquiries lead to threats against Cork’s family. Winona is in hiding. Only Winona’s brother Willie is in touch with her. He’s a nature photographer, who, despite cerebral palsy, is able to capture shots amazing enough that National Geographic purchases them

The question is, will Cork be able to find the real killer and make sense of his childhood friend’s murder before he becomes more than a “person of interest”?

Krueger continues to develop characters we’ve previously met. Stephen is growing in learning the ways of the healer in native tradition. Rainy and Cork are a couple. Jenny has embraced her calling as Waboo’s mom and he is flourishing. Cork also continues to wrestle with his own calling, which seems to be to stand in the way of trouble. Even though he’s shed the badge, trouble seems to have a way of seeking him out. It’s an uncomfortable reality we see both him and those he loves struggling to accept. show less

Cork O'Connor is sitting in the shadow of a towering monolith known as Trickster's Point deep in the Minnesota wilderness. With him is Jubal Little, who is favored to become the first Native American elected governor of Minnesota, and who is slowly dying with an arrow through his heart. Although the men have been bow hunting, a long-standing tradition among these two friends, this is no hunting accident. The arrow turns out to be Cork. As he works to clear his name and track the real killer, he remembers his long, complex relationship with the tough kid who would grow up to become a professional football player, a populist politician, and the lover of the first woman to whom Cork gave his heart. Jubal was known by many for his passion, show more his loyalty, and his ambition. Only Cork knows that he was capable of murder. show less

I was very disappointed when author William Kent Krueger killed off the wife of his main character in book #9 (Heaven's Keep) because they had a special relationship, not perfect by any means, but a certain yin-yang thing, whereby they filled in the holes in the other. Several books later, Cork O'Connor seems to have found a new soulmate in Henry Meloux's niece, Rainy. Here is a wonderful summary of Cork's character from Rainy: "[Uncle Henry] says you are like a dog who can't remember where he's buried his bone. You just keep digging until you find it." Elsewhere in the book, his daughter Jenny quotes her mother in describing Cork as a windbreak or her son's native Ojibwe word, Ogichidaa: "someone who [stands] between his people and bad show more things."

This book is about the murder of Cork's lifelong friend, Jubal Little, who is running for governor at Trickster's Point (a/k/a Tricky's Dick or Nanaboozhoo's Penis), a 150-foot stone nestled in the northwoods. The two friends have some ancient history there, as a boyhood nemesis fell to his death there following the rape of their close friend. Cork is suspected of the deed as the arrow is manmade in the Cork's precise style, and he refuses to get help because his friend does not want to be left alone to die.

Over the course of the novel, and Cork's investigation, much secret history is revealed about Cork, Jubal, and their raped friend, Winona. As always, Cork solves the mystery, revealing only as much as he feels is necessary ... in the spirit of medicine man (Mide), Henry Meloux. show less

TRICKSTER’S POINT by William Kent Krueger

If you are looking for a literate mystery with well-developed characters and a convincing, challenging plot, this is the book for you. Krueger’s latest chapter in the life of his Cork O’Conner character will have you guessing until the last pages.
Several characters from Cork’s past have reason to kill off Cork’s childhood friend, rising politician Jubal Little. When Little’s life is cut short in the middle of his gubernatorial campaign, Cork is the prime suspect until others reveal their animosity. Cork’s family and friends, as well as a few enemies, all come under suspicion in this tightly plotted mystery leavened with near poetic descriptions of the area around Trickster’s show more Point. The many layers to the mystery of Jubal’s death are only revealed in the final pages.
An excellent way to spend some time with a fine author, Native American traditions and the northern reaches of Minnesota.
5 of 5 stars show less

Trickster's Point begins with the murder of Jubal Little, a powerful politician who is about to be elected the first Native American governor of Minnesota. Unlike Cork, who has Ojibwe blood. Jubal is a Montana Blackfeet who has combined his heritage, his football career, and his marriage into a prominent family into a successful political career. So his murder brings in an FBI agent who immediately suspects Cork, especially since Jubal was shot through the heart with Cork’s own deer-hunting arrow.

The author tells this story through alternating scenes of past and present, showing how old experiences and youthful friendships have affected Cork and Jubal's relationship. Trickster's Point is an absorbing book with lots of twists and show more turns. Krueger is an author who isn't afraid to take chances with his characters. Cork continues to grow with each new entry in the series.





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