Boundary Waters

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: David Chandler

Drawing strong comparisons to the work of James Lee Burke and Tony Hillerman, William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mysteries never fail to please fans.

The Quetico-Superior Wilderness: more than two million acres of forest, white-water rapids, and uncharted islands on the Canadian/American border. Somewhere in the heart of this unforgiving territory, a young woman named Shiloh - a country-western singer at the height of her fame - has disappeared.

Her father arrives in Aurora, Minnesota, to hire former sheriff Cork O'Connor to find his daughter, and Cork joins a search party that includes an ex-con, two FBI agents, and a 10-year-old boy. Others are on Shiloh's trail as well - men hired not just to find her, but to kill her.

As the expedition ventures deeper into the wilderness, strangers descend on Aurora, threatening to spill blood on the town's snowy streets. Meanwhile, out on the Boundary Waters, winter falls hard. Cork's team of searchers loses contact with civilization, and like the brutal winds of a Minnesota blizzard, death - violent and sudden - stalks them.

©1999 William Kent Krueger (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Krueger’s writing, strong and bold yet with the mature mark of restraint, pulls this exciting search-and-rescue mission through with a hard yank.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Another unusual adventure

As usual, I recommend that you read the publisher's summary. Often there is more information than I would give: I really try not to write spoilers.

This is a mystery with murders and murderers literally coming out of the woods. I find it interesting that Cork O'Connor, no longer in law enforcement, is the "go to" guy for every agency and mercenary in his area. This story has twists and turns that kept me guessing until near the end. Also, new inforrmation is added about Cork's personal life, the Indian reservation, and the casino. This book seems to pick up where the last one left off, but it can easily stand alone.

David Chandler's narration includes voices for the different characters and he remains consistent with his portrayals. This is a good performance.

Great Series, Book Two, Ready for Book Three!

My husband and I listened to the first book in this series (Iron Lake) on a road trip to visit our daughter in New Orleans. Loved it so much, we had to download the second book for the trip back home. This one is also a great mystery, one in which Cork, ex-sheriff is on a hunt for a lost country western singer who has been lured back to her Indian roots. And figuring out who is the bad guys in this story is about as elusive as in the first book. William Kent Krueger does not disappoint. We didn't finish the book on our drive home (just like the first one, on our drive down to New Orleans) . . . so the audio book won out OVER our normal tv shows for the first couple hours after we got home . . .

Great Read

I truly enjoyed this book as I have all of William J. Kuerger's other books

A lush story

Cork O'Connor is contacted by Willie Raye to help find his daughter, Shiloh, who's disappeared. She's a famous Country & Western singer who apparently has chosen to remove herself into the Quetico-Superior Wilderness for some self reflection. The Feds have also inserted themselves into the search because they believe she now remembers information about her mother's murder 13-years ago. Unfortunately, there are other dark forces at play as others are out to find and kill her.

As with the first story, the setting is an important element of the story and Indian lore is featured prominently in every aspect of the plot. The complexity of the boundary waters (between the Minnesota and Canadian borders) added to the mystery and sense of isolation. There was a mystical quality threaded throughout even in the midst of sinister characters who were quite chilling. I liked how the points of view of the searches and those waiting back in Aurora were juxtaposed as it heightened the tension with subtle clues all over the place. I guessed the right villain because of them but had to constantly test my theory.

This was a lush story, burdened somewhat by the body count, but enriched by the storytelling of one of the characters, a young Native American boy who shared what was passed to him by his uncle. It was a perfect illustration of the rich culture that was key to finding Shiloh and made this story special. I opted to switch to the audio format for this series because I believed a good narration performance would increase my enjoyment and boy did it. Highly recommend not only this book but this format. This series is living up to my expectations.

Ugly Events in a Beautiful Area

First time I read Kreuger. As Minnesotan I was impressed. Well written and well read. The Native American backdrop enhances the book's power.

Great story, excellent narrator

This is the second in this series I've listened to, I will continue with the rest, the narrator is excellent, & as any avid audio book listener, the narrator can ruin a book, or make it worth listening to

Enjoyed the continuing story

Glad to find this series. Enjoyed it very much. Wasn’t something I would normally gravitate towards- but it’s very good.

Love This Series!

Really enjoyed this book, the writing, narration, and story. All of it! Recommend for all mystery lovers.

riveting

the best. accurate details, suspension in the telling
A must read for all who have been to northern Minnesota

Good suspense. I enjoyed the characters as well as the role the wilderness plays, as well as the focus on native culture

Good suspense. I enjoyed the characters as well as the role the wilderness plays, as well as the focus on native culture