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William Kent Krueger

Lightning Strike: A Novel (18) (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series) Hardcover – August 24, 2021

by William Kent Krueger (Author)

5,904 ratings

Book 18 of 19: Cork O'Connor Mystery

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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An instant New York Times bestseller, this prequel to the acclaimed Cork O’Connor series is “apitch perfect, richly imagined story that is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and an evocative, emotionally charged coming-of-age tale” (Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author) about fathers and sons, small-town conflicts, and the events that shape our lives forever.

Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient forest alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. In the summer of 1963, it is the whole world to twelve-year-old Cork O’Connor, its rhythms as familiar as his own heartbeat. But when Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family, and himself.

Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right.

In this “brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate” (Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author), beloved novelist William Kent Krueger shows that some mysteries can be solved even as others surpass our understanding.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Atria Books
Publication date

August 24, 2021
Dimensions

6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1982128682
ISBN-13

978-1982128685
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of August 2021: Readers new to William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series get a poignant, powerful, and mesmerizing reason to rectify that with this prequel, Lightning Strike. It’s 1963 when young Cork and his friends come across the body of Big John Manydeeds hanging from a tree. Cork’s dad, Sheriff Liam O’Connor, is expected to confirm a suicide but both father and son have their suspicions. And thanks to generations of mistreatment (the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 inspired part of the plot), little help is forthcoming from the reservation of the Iron Lake Band of Ojibwe. Krueger skillfully blends big, suspenseful moments with quiet, keenly observed insights into human nature. This novel is rich with wisdom about right and wrong, choice and change, fathers and sons, and the ways in which loss can shape us as profoundly as love. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

Review

“Lightning Strike explores the tender relationship between father and son. It is written with grace and understanding. It is a stunning novel that will captivate readers even if they’ve never read a Cork O’Connor mystery.” —Denver Post

"William Kent Krueger is a master storyteller at the top of his game with Lightning Strike. A pitch perfect, richly imagined story that is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and an evocative, emotionally-charged coming of age tale that explores the complex bonds between fathers and sons and the long simmering animosities of the past. This is a beautifully written novel that packs a powerful punch. I loved it." —Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds

“Marvelous. I’ve long been a fan of William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series, and this essential novel allows us to witness how young Cork developed and matured. Not just a story of fathers and sons, it’s also a tale of Natives and settlers and how laws such as the Indian Relocation Act influenced both…A gripping, heartbreaking tale with beautiful writing, vividly drawn characters, and a story you won’t be able to put down." —David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Edgar and Anthony Award-nominated author of Winter Counts

"Lightning Strike is a brilliantly plotted, deeply emotional mystery that opens strong, building more intensity with each passing page. This is William Kent Krueger at his best, and the perfect spot for new readers to enter the series." —The Real Book Spy

"Poignant, powerful, and mesmerizing… Krueger skillfully blends big, suspenseful moments with quiet, keenly observed insights into human nature. This novel is rich with wisdom about right and wrong, choice and change, fathers and sons, and the ways in which loss can shape us as profoundly as love." —Amazon Book Review

"A brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate." —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Madess of Crowds

“There’s a feel that you get from a master craftsman, a saddle that sits right, a fly rod that casts with its own agility, or a series of books written with a grace and precision so stunning that you’d swear the stories were your own.” —Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series

“Among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon. Kent showed the mystery reading world that a protagonist need not be a chain-smoking loner with lots of emotional baggage but he could be an honest and admirable family man doing his best for all the right reasons.” — C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Krueger’s gift is to illustrate the dynamics of history and culture through up-close-and-personal stories.” —The New York Journal of Books

“This sensitive, moving prequel introduces and draws readers into the series. Krueger has written another perceptive coming-of-age novel, the poignant story of a father and son trying to understand each other.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Krueger winds back time, literally and symbolically . . . with . . . suspenseful measured pacing, his accomplished prose and his carefully crafted plot.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

About the Author

William Kent Krueger is the New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace (winner of the Edgar Award for best novel), as well as nineteen acclaimed books in the Cork O’Connor mystery series, including Lightning Strike and Desolation Mountain. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family. Learn more at WilliamKentKrueger.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue PROLOGUE
JANUARY 1989

On his first day as the newly sworn-in sheriff of Tamarack County, Minnesota, Cork O’Connor seated himself behind the desk that came with the badge. The desk, clear at the moment of all but a morning paper, a ceramic mug that held pens rather than coffee, and a framed family photograph, was a mosaic of scars and cigarette burns, the legacy of his father and the other men who’d sat behind that desk before Cork. He wore the khaki uniform he’d ironed himself for the swearing-in ceremony, which had been held that morning in the county courthouse a block away. His wife, Jo, had been there, along with his three young children and his sister-in-law, Rose. Sam Winter Moon had come, and Cork had been especially pleased to see Henry Meloux at the back of the courtroom. The old Mide had sat erect and expressionless, but his presence—and Sam’s—in that place where the Anishinaabeg had sought but seldom received justice spoke to the hope they now held.

Cork felt the solemnity of the moment. It came to him with a sense of satisfaction but also with a profound sense of burden. Wearing the badge his father had worn, he felt the heavy responsibility of measuring up to a man who’d given his life in the line of duty and, in doing so, had left his son with a hard road map to follow into his own manhood.

Deputy Ed Larson appeared in the doorway. He was tall, laconic, and nearly a decade Cork’s senior. They’d worked alongside one another for years.

“Care to take a victory lap around town?” the deputy said, then added with a grin, “Sheriff.”

It was January, and there was a bracing chill in the air outside the Tamarack County Sheriff’s Department. The sun was a melt of yellow in an aster blue sky. On the streets of Aurora, which were banked with plowed snow, folks greeted him in a neighborly way. Despite the badge and the nature of all that came with it, he was still one of them and had been his entire life. They ate alongside him and his family at the Friday night fish fry in Johnny’s Pinewood Broiler. On fall evenings, they cheered with him among the local fans at the high school football games and sat next to him in the bleachers of the school gymnasium during basketball season. They took communion with him on Sundays at St. Agnes. Yes, he was one of them. And yet, not quite. Because there was something different about Corcoran Liam O’Connor that didn’t show in his face but ran in his blood. And he was reminded of it on that first day he wore the new badge.

As he and Deputy Ed Larson made the rounds of the small business district, an old man stepped from the Crooked Pine, and with him came the musty odor of stale beer. He jammed a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, cupped his hands around a match flame, and blew smoke toward the sky. Then he caught sight of the two officers and gave a drunken grunt.

“Never thought I’d see the day when a Redskin was sheriff here,” he said.

“I take it you didn’t vote for me, Lyle,” Cork said.

“Hell, didn’t vote period.”

“Not much cause to complain then,” Larson said. “And I’ve got a question for you, Lyle. How do you intend to get home? Because it’s clear you’re too drunk to drive.”

The old man swung his eyes to a mud-spattered pickup parked at the curb. “Guess I’ll have a cup of coffee at the Broiler first.”

“Better make it three or four,” Larson said. “And I’ll be watching.”

The two officers walked on, a rough circle that brought them to the courthouse, where they stood looking at the structure, which had been built of red sandstone in the days when the wealth from the mines had fed the county’s economy and ornate public buildings were de rigueur on Minnesota’s Iron Range.

“You promised lots of changes in your campaign speeches. Going to change that?” Larson said, nodding toward the courthouse.

As was often the case with county courthouses, at least in Cork’s experience, a cupola crowned the structure and a large clock face was set within it. The hands had not moved in twenty-five years. The clock had been hit during the exchange of gunfire in which Cork’s father was killed. Periodically, the county commissioners would entertain a motion to have the clock repaired, but so far that motion had never passed. In its way, that frozen clock face was considered a memorial to Sheriff Liam O’Connor.

“Not up to me,” Cork said.

“I didn’t know him,” Larson said. “But he sure left a mark on this town.”

“Tell you what, Ed. Why don’t you go on back to the office? I’d like to spend a few minutes here alone.”

“Sure thing, Sheriff.” Larson gave him a little salute and crossed the street.

As Cork stared up at the frozen clock face, a cool breeze passed over him, which felt to him like the visitation of his father’s spirit. His father would have scowled and said something like “That’s your heart talking. If you’re going to be a good lawman, you need to listen to your head.”

It was a piece of advice in keeping with the kind of man his father had been. Or at least as Cork remembered him. In Cork’s memories, Liam O’Connor had been a lion, powerfully built, with hands like huge paws and a thick mane of red-gold hair. Although not typically given to displays of emotion, when the situation demanded, he was a ferocious, towering figure. Yet these days, whenever he studied the family photographs of his father, Cork saw a man much smaller than he remembered and with a much gentler face, different from the father Cork remembered, a stranger in so many ways.

There was a bench on the sidewalk, and he sat and allowed himself the indulgence of reverie. Beneath a blue sky and a butter yellow sun, with a cool breeze on his face, the weight of a new badge on his chest, and the responsibilities that came with it resting on his shoulders, he considered a summer long ago when he’d first begun to try to unravel the mystery that had been his father.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books; First Edition (August 24, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982128682
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982128685
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #14,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #287 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)
- #2,717 in Crime Thrillers (Books)
- #2,719 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
5,904 ratings

About the author

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William Kent Krueger

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Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last five novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

"Ordinary Grace," his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. "Manitou Canyon," number fifteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in September 2016. Visit his website at www.williamkentkrueger.com.

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Everything you want in a mystery and

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2021

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so much more, “Lightning Strike” is an amazing combination of family relationships, social commentary and well crafted mystery.

I’ve been wanting to read this series for a long time and this was the place to start - book 17 is a prequel and a stand alone novel. It begins in 1989 with the protagonist, Cork, starting his first day as sheriff. Only 2.5 brief pages to set the stage and he’s reminiscing about how he got where he’s at and who it was that paved the way. We’re off to 1963…

Sheriff Liam O’Connor, Cork’s father, is tasked with solving an highly charged death that he has called a suicide but the victim’s family is certain something nefarious has happened. The family is Native American and they’re issues between the tribal leaders and the town’s elite. Cork, his Mother and Grandmother are First Peoples. Oh, and guess who found the body? Oh yeah, this is Cork’s first mystery to be solved.

W. K. Krueger’s writing is atmospheric when describing the setting. I could smell, taste, feel, hear everything. On the other hand, I struggled somewhat with the investigation because the racial issues were too woke for 1963. I applaud Krueger for his dedication to Native American issues and for the prologue with historical information but 2021 BLM fodder doesn’t belong in this story.

I waffled between 3-4 stars and opted for kindness because so much of this book really is exceptional. I’m going to give book 1 a fair read and hope this political mishap was an aberration. The back stories on Cork and Liam were really woven together wonderfully as were the relationships between Cork and his buddies.

This is a mystery that’s built in layers but it’s not a hard core procedural. Cork and his friends are young teenagers who make horrifying discoveries; some by accident others purposeful. He’s got that gladiator heart that is unique to boys of that age.

3.5 stars rounded up because it will make me much more grounded when starting the series📚

Fiction, Fiction, Fiction August 2021 #26

27 people found this helpful

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ZenReader

Way too familiar --- same old formula

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021

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I've read the entire series to this point. Unfortunately for me this is the end of the road. Even though our hero is 12 years old he's still the same old character. Along comes the old wizen tribe elder who does his impression of the riddler and gives probably the worst advice he's ever given if you believe out hero is 12. Like why does anyone ever ask Henry anything is beyond belief. As Dad as he's known in this one -oh please, he's a one dimensional robo doll with a persecutions complex. His angst over the ever nutty tribes feelings for him is boring nonsense. Gee they don't like me cause the don't trust me? What, why? Its tiring. Its all so "well their Indians so...blah blah blah." This is probably too harsh since I'm really sad the series is obvously at an end with the author phoning in the thin rehashed plot lines and characters. I would not recommend this one to anyone. The first 16 books, hell yeah they were great. This "yawn". Or as Henry would say "Book is wood, look deeply in the grain to learn the truth, wood and paper are one grasshopper." No wait that was Kung Fu. Henry say "Check out the loose ends 12 year old. You go find out who murdered him". Has Kent ever met a real live 12 year old? Henry should of told Cort, "Stop eating your own snot kiddo and leave it up to your Dad, like he's the sheriff". What nonsense.

18 people found this helpful

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mbl

One of the Best

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2021

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I’ve read every book in this series and this was one of the best. I loved the insight on how Cork was raised and what is up-bringing was like. The details once again pulled me in and made me feel like I was there. I couldn’t wait to finish and now I am sad I have to wait for another book to come out.

16 people found this helpful

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JAE reads too much!

Is this a young adult novel?

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

Except for a couple of F-Bombs,I’d expect this to be targeted to young adults. Like 12-14 young.
Indian history, yes, but an Irish sheriff being constantly clued by young boys doesn’t ring true to my idea of law enforcement.
Are the Ashinonoaab the only tribe in the state without a gambling pact? It’s how they can get the country back!
Maybe that’s a fight Liam can win?
This book does not win for me!

12 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

a reader

another great one by William Kent Krueger

Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

Great story, loveable, believable characters and excellent description of landscape and life before we succumbed to development and urban/suburban degradation. Very skillful, sensitive and wise exploration of the ways racism becomes embedded in culture and the power of waking up to that.

Margaret McCrank

Good mystery, interesting characters, easy to read.

Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a new author for me and I will certainly read more of his novels. I’m not a big fan of mysteries but this one is well-written and informative as well. I saw that this was #18 in a series but it worked well as a stand-alone book.

Eric Taylor

Best series ever

Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2022

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