Heaven's Keep

This is my ninth book in the Cork O'Conner series and I will certainly continue to devour them. There is a deep love within Krueger's heart for Minnesota and the native Ojibwe culture which radiates itself with beautiful prose upon the pages. I've become a distant family member during my time devouring the books with his wife Jo, daughters and his son Steven and all other fictional friends and relatives created by Krueger. He can paint landscapes in your mind and trigger all your emotions.

This one though tended to drag for the first 100 pages. I know that it needed to set the stage for the rest of the story but I feel it needed a little action injected into the front part of the tale. That is my only criticism of this one .

As always the show more tail end of the story is finely crafted and packed with enough punches to satisfy any suspense fanatic. I will give this 4 stars. show less

*** WARNING - SPOILERS FOR ENDING ***

This was another strong entry in the series and looks to have a huge impact on future books. Cork finds out that his wife Jo was in a plane that went down in the mountains of Wyoming. He and his son Stephen head to Wyoming to help with the search, but after two heavy snowfalls they must face the truth that there will be no rescue. Months later Cork is approached by the wife of the pilot of the downed plane, who claims the man caught on video footage was not her husband. The more Cork looks into the case, the more things he finds that don't add up. The author could have pulled a hat-trick at the end of the book and Cork could have miraculously found Jo alive and well. I'm glad he didn't take the easy show more way out. This was a good way to freshen the series. show less

Summary: The charter plane Jo is in in goes down in a snowstorm in Wyoming and is not found. Subsequent evidence offers hope.

Cork O’Connor is in a legal fight to keep Sam’s Place. A developer, Hugh Parmer, has visions of a luxury lakeside development and needs Cork’s land, leading to a tense confrontation and mounting legal bills. Cork even turns to applying for a deputy position in his former department to supplement his income. Jo is not happy. She is headed out the door to a conference out west of tribal elders developing gambling policies. They don’t kiss goodbye, something they’ve never failed to do.

The final leg of the flight is on a charter over rugged territory in Wyoming. A winter storm is closing in. But the pilot show more boasts of being able to get through. Less than an hour in, there is a jolt, then another, and the plane begins to rapidly descend. The pilot sends a mayday message. The plane goes off radar, missing without a trace in the middle of a blizzard. It is days before they can begin a search in the bitter cold…

Cork gathers the family and they live the pendulum swing between despair and hope that somehow, Jo and the others, including George LeDuc survived. Then Hugh Parmer shows up, but not to continue the property dispute. He sets all that aside and offers Cork any help he needs out of his considerable resources. When the weather in Wyoming lifts, Cork asks if he will fly him out to join the search. Or rather him and Stephen, who has had a vision. Cork recognizes that Stephen also needs to know they’ve done everything to find Jo.

And they do, including a very risky search on a hard to reach frozen lake, suggested by another vision of a local Arapaho. But they find no trace of the plane. Given the conditions, they have to conclude Jo and the others are dead. Back in Aurora, they hold a memorial for her at a gravesite without remains. They grieve and try to put life together without Jo. Eventually, Cork and Hugh Parmer get together without lawyers and work out a very different plan for the development. They protect the waterfront, and Sam’s. They join together in a grand opening and are about to celebrate together when two women ask to speak to Cork.

One is the wife of the pilot, who is being sued. The other is her lawyer, He was accused of drinking heavily the night before the flight. It’s all on a videotape they want Cork to see. There are small things, but they all add up. The man is not her husband. When Cork studies the video, he notices something else–the man fakes drinking, pouring it down his shirt. They want Cork to investigate. But one of the problems is they’d already hired an investigator, who has gone missing.

Cork realizes that Jo’s disappearance may not be due to a simple plane crash in a storm. Hugh realizes how important this is and offers his help. They visit the pilot’s hangar and find evidence that he was dead before the plane took off. They realize the answers are in Wyoming. But before they get there, they have a near fatal “accident,” clearly very carefully planned. Someone doesn’t want them to learn the truth, and heading to Wyoming is heading into greater danger. But what they’ve found also raises the possibility that the plane may not have crashed. Jo may still be alive.

While Stephen stays with Henry Meloux to undergo a vision quest, key to transitioning to Ojibwe manhood, Cork and Hugh fly to Wyoming. Surprisingly, Hugh quickly proves his worth. But will it be enough against the opposition they face? Will they find the answers they seek? Will the answers relate in any way to the visions?

The introduction of Hugh Parmer feels like he might become an ongoing character. I hope so (if they survive this book!). Cork and Hugh are good together. I also love how Stephen (no longer Stevie) is developed. He has always been courageous, but there are depths emerging. I look forward to how this young man will grow up. But running through it all are two people whose last words before they parted were conflict…and silence. show less

I love this series so much. This book’s tension begins at the beginning and never lets up. Cork is on a mission with a new friend to try to find his wife Jo who was on a plane that went down in a snowstorm over the rugged Mountains of Wyoming. Hugh Palmer is a multi-millionaire land developer and he and Cork are pitted against a powerful enemy who also has unlimited resources. It was difficult to go on this journey with Cork, and I can’t help thinking how this book will change the thrust of this series . I can’t wait to see where Cork goes from here. For those who like high octane thrillers with a strong and thoroughly likeable protagonist, this is the series for you.

Cork and his wife have a disagreement one morning resulting in a shouting match, both saying things they didn't really mean, but they go their separate daily ways without reconciling. His wife goes to the airport to go on a business trip...from which she won't return afterwards as the plane crashes. Cork had nothing from her since the argument, except a short message on his e-mail mailbox. He's eons beyond grief after this painful loss that leaves him now not only a widow but also a single father. It's autumn before he discovers some new information relating to the plane crash and begins to follow his instincts as a private detective. What follows is an exciting story based around casinos, Native American Indian reservations and several show more nature reserves. This all comes to an end in the dead of winter in the Rocky Mountains in a fight for survival against nature. Throughout the book, the author not only focused on his essential main character, Cork O'Conner but also describing some of the hardships and problems suffered by the Native American Indians yet in these modern times. Anyone that has viewed the Rockies in any season will recognize the descriptions of the unspoiled beauty of these majestic mountains' nature and how important it is to preserve them. There is a lot to think about in this story even though it is at times heartbreaking. The story is filled with suspense; and it's difficult at times, to read, yet it also reminds us to be very, very careful with our words no matter how angry we may be, as you never know when you may never have the chance to say, "I'm sorry, I love you and I didn't mean it." show less

I am loving this series, and this book didn't disappoint.

In Heaven's Keep, Cork is having a really, really hard time.

Developers want to completely take over the property surrounding Sam's Place, altering it forever. Cork has been fighting them nonstop.
His son Stephen is 14 and adolescence has arrived with a bang. Everyone treads carefully around him.
Worst of all Cork's wife was in a plane that went down months ago and has yet to be found.

Cork struggles with his own emotions, while trying to help Stephen find his way into adulthood. Ironically, Cork comes to know and count on the developer of the neighboring properties, and has the wife of the Pilot, whom many assumed was drunk, come to him for help clearing her husband's name.

Once show more again, a lot of action, and a great read. show less

Engaging mystery that keeps you reading and reading. Many unexpected twists including the ending. Characters are true to form and there's even a little mysticism. New character, Parmer, is an ally... Location, instead of mostly Minnesota is wide open Wyoming. Where's Walt Longmire when you need him?