Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

Published by Atria Books on August 24, 2021

Lightning Strike is a prequel to the Cork O’Connor series. The story begins with Cork being sworn in as the new Sheriff of Tamarack County in Northern Minnesota. After a county resident complains that he's the first “redskin” to become sheriff, Cork recalls his father, Liam, who also held the sheriff’s position. Cork’s memories take the reader to 1963 when Cork was a pre-teen, delivering newspapers and hanging out with his two best friends, Billy Downwind and Jorge Patterson. Jorge’s mother is Mexican and Billy, like Cork’s mother, is Ojibwe.

Like all good mysteries, Lightning Strike is based on misdirection. Three deaths occur, apparently unrelated, but mystery fans will understand that multiple deaths in a mystery are always related. The mystery is the culprit’s identity. William Kent Krueger plants clues that might help the reader guess the answer, but he also sets up several other suspects who might have a motive for committing at least one of the murders.

When Cork and Jorge visit a clearing on the Shore of Iron Lake known as Lightning Strike, they are shocked to find Big John Manydeeds hanging from a rope. An autopsy reveals a high blood alcohol content, which is consistent with the cases of empty whiskey bottles found behind Big Johns’ home. People on the rez all believed that Big John had stopped drinking and are unwilling to accept the fact of his apparent suicide. They are suspicious of Liam’s apparent unwillingness to investigate the death, viewing Big John’s demise as another case in which white law enforcement turns its back on Indians.

Murder suspects accumulate after Liam, prodded by his wife and mother-in-law, begins to consider the possibility that Big John didn’t kill himself. Big John may have been carrying on with the wife of Duncan McDermid, who owns the local iron mine, but the local judge isn’t interested in issuing search warrants related to that investigation because McDermid is white and powerful. Big John also had more than a few fights with his stepbrother, who happens to be Billy’s uncle. At least three minor characters make repeat appearances, which mystery fans will realize is enough reason to put them on the short list of suspects.

A couple of plot elements distinguish Lightning Strike from typical mysteries. The spirit of Big John seems to appear from time to time, perhaps assisting the investigation of his murder, although never in a way that can’t be explained without a belief in spirits. Believe what you want, the story seems to say.

Cork plays a key role at several points as he searches for clues or contributes helpful insights. His efforts are credible — he makes no deductions that are beyond a child of his age — but the central role of a kid in a murder investigation gives the story a certain charm. Cork learns some life lessons as he ponders both Christian and Native American spiritual beliefs, ultimately recognizing that he’ll need to travel a long path before he finds satisfying answers about the meaning of life and death.

The theme of white hostility toward Native Americay.ns and Native American distrust of whites gives the story some weight without making it preachy. Lightning Strike is, at bottom, a well-crafted mystery with likeable characters. Action scenes at the end add a level of tension by placing Cork in danger. The novel is a good end-of-summer book for readers who are ready to transition away from beach reads but not quite ready for the heavy literary diet that winter might bring.

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