SPIRIT CROSSING

5 stars out of 5

This is a wonderful series I wish I'd learned about sooner; this book, the 20th, is only the fourth for me. Former Chicago cop Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor, who's part Irish and part Anishiaabe Indian, early on left the Windy City for remote Aurora, Minnesota; his wife, Rainy, is a Native American who maintains close ties to the local reservation - including to her great uncle, Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux (is he really 100 years old or older? Well, I for one believe it).

These days, Cork still runs a local burger joint and helps with the new Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. His three children are grown, and his young grandson Aaron, a.k.a. "Waaboo," already is showing signs of becoming a healer like the elder Meloux. His abilities are evident as he visits a hidden blueberry patch with his grandfather and "sees" a shallow grave amid the bushes that turns out to be connected to the missing teenage daughter of a local politician. Cork, ever helpful, thinks Waaboo may be helpful in ferreting out more details; Waaboo's mother, though, is less than enthusiastic about encouraging her son's newfound talents.

Into the mix come Cork's daughter, Annie, who's visiting for a while for her brother's upcoming wedding. She's brought her partner, Maria Lopez, a nurse with whom she lives in Guatemala. But the wedding isn't the only reason for her visit; she's got a secret she doesn't want to share with anyone, let alone her family - yet she knows she must.

The plot turns timely as locals stage ongoing protests against construction of a pipeline that would carry crude oil over local sacred wetlands of Spirit Crossing to a refinery on Lake Superior. The highly charged situation brings with it the real possibility that someone will get hurt - perhaps even someone from Cork's family. And once word gets out about the grave Waaboo sensed, the child's life also may be in danger from the person or persons who are afraid he'll be able to "see" them as well. Other issues of the day such as human trafficking and police investigations that go nowhere when the victims aren't lily white rear their ugly head as well, making for even more nasty and life-threatening situations.

As always, books in this series are a pleasure to read (well, given the topics, perhaps "pleasure" isn't quite the right word, but you get my drift). I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. Well done once again!

Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books, August 2024); 336 pp.