Copper River

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: David Chandler

Part Irish, part Native-American, Sheriff Cork O'Connor serves the remote territory of Tamarack County, Minnesota. But big trouble is brewing: a powerful man believes O'Connor killed his son. Now there's a price on the sheriff's head and a bullet in his leg. He finds refuge with his cousin, Jewell, and her teenage son, Ren, in their tiny Michigan town. But when Ren and his friends are threatened, O'Connor must risk his cover to find out why.

Copper River opens with a terrifying scene that sets the tone for the suspense that grows stronger with each succeeding chapter. The narrator's taut performance underscores O'Connor's vulnerability and his vigilance.

Author William Kent Krueger has won two Anthony Awards for his gripping Cork O'Connor mysteries. Set in remote areas of the northwest, each book in the series launches the Minnesota lawman into challenges that push his endurance to new limits.

©2006 William Kent Krueger (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"Krueger has moved to the head of the crime fiction class." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"Minnesota has a become a hotbed of hard-boiled crime fiction, and the Cork O'Connor novels are among the best." (Booklist)

Great

This is one of the best I have Read

OUTSTANDING! All Around!

This wonderfully suspenseful, flirty, teasing story between Cork and his delightful assistant was refreshing. Cork remains a faithful family man while away from his wife and children without losing the ability to accept and respect a lovely "Jason Bourne"-type-abilities partner. This story was different. The loving and altruistic focus on a much neglected segment of our society was delightful. WKK portrayed youth truthfully while emphasizing their intelligence, resourcefulness and loyalty with great respect. I love all the mysteries so far, but I'd have to say this is one of my favorites.

Copper River

I’m having a great time getting to know the world of Cork O’Conner. Really good follow-up to Mercy Falls, great story.

Best one yet!

Running from the hitmen sent after him by an angry and confused father, Cork takes a bullet in the leg. Unable to go to a hospital, he falls back on family in the form of a cousin, Jewell Dubois, who just happens to be a veterinarian. Holed up at her wilderness resort, he hopes to lay low while the police prove that he wasn't the one who killed Lou Jakobi's son.

But this is Cork O'Connor we're talking about. Ren, Jewell's son, is with a couple of friends when one of them sees a body floating down Copper River. No one else sees it and Ren is more inclined to think it was a log, but then his friend Charlie's father is found bludgeoned to death, and Charlie is missing. Two days later, his other friend, Stash, is hit by a car. Is someone coming for him next?

This takes up where the last book seemed to leave us hanging over the abyss of unfinished story land. I started this while driving out of town and as luck would have it, hadn't downloaded the second half of the book! I almost cried. Copper River is one of the best books in the series so far - I love the intensity of family and friendship this work includes. The action isn't bad either. Hopefully Jewell and Ren will return in another book.

The narrator for this series is a good fit. You really feel like it's Cork O'Connor you're listening tell the tale.

Another winner

I love this series! Never disappointed & this one especially had me holding my breath to see what cliff lay ahead… on to the next adventure

The beautiful writing and believable Characters are what earns five stars!

Every book this writer writes is well crafted! His use of metaphor and foreshadowing make it nearly impossible to put his books down!

Absolutely wonderful series!

Have listened to the first five books and they are wonderful. If you want a good clean language not a lot of sex, but just a all together great book this is a series for you. I intend to listen to all 17 and then I am going to listen to others by this author ! Haven't found something I have enjoyed this much in a long time.

Beautifully Written Mystery

One of the things I love about this series is how well it is written. Krueger captures the visual beauty and menace of the North with its stunning vistas, quick change weather, and treacherous waters. Chandler's narrative is pitch perfect as it pulls in the accents and pacing of this area. The character complexity and developing narratives plus the deep humanity makes this a pleasure to read.

Great Minnesota Mystery!

Where does Copper River rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I am reading the Cork O'Connor mystery series as soon as I can get them with my two-per-month membership. They are all great!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Copper River?

I like how this one continued on from the last book. It is not bad that most of the others wrap themselves up in a nice tidy bow at the end of each book. But this story was a continuation of the one before it. Couldn't start it fast enough!

Extremely relevant story

Cork O'Connor is on the run after Lou Jacoby placed a $500,000 bounty on his head because he believes he killed his son, Ben. An injured Cork lands in Bodine, Michigan where his estranged and widowed cousin, Jewell DuBois lives with her son, Ren. He arrives just in time to assist (from the sidelines) with a murder involving Ren's best friend, Charlene (Charlie).

I really liked this story but not because of the parts relating to Cork's situation, which missed the mark in my opinion. The case involving Ren and his friends was loaded with symbolism and a different type of Indian mysticism, different from those in the past. It was more allegorical or spiritual. Those kids were pretty special, even in the midst of some pretty evil stuff. The mystery was not easy to unravel and you had to pay attention to some fairly minor details to solve it, which I didn't do very well.

This was an extremely relevant story with some very strong but disturbing themes and I'm still haunted by some of them. As usual, I loved David Chandler's narration as he not only nailed Cork but Ren and his friends.