In this 20th book in the long-running 'Cork O'Connor' series, Cork helps
investigate when local women go missing. The book can be read as a
standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
Background:
Cork O'Connor, whose ancestry is Irish and Anishinaabe Indian, was the
sheriff of Tamarack County, Minnesota for ten years. Afterwards, Cork
became a private investigator.....
.....and
he also runs a hamburger shack called 'Sam's Place' in his hometown of
Aurora, Minnesota. Over the years, Sam's Shack provided jobs for many
teens in the area, including the O'Connor youngsters.
Cork
and his first wife Jo had three children named Jenny, Annie, and
Stephen. Later, after Cork became a widower, he married Rainy Bisonette.
Rainy
is an Ojibwe Indian and the great-niece of Cork's best friend Henry
Meloux - an elderly Mide (medicine man) and spiritual guide.
*****
As the novel opens, Cork is almost sixty, and his grown children have embarked on their individual lives and careers.
At
the moment though, the entire family is gathered in Aurora for law
student Stephen O'Connor's upcoming wedding to his fiancée Belle. 
Environmentalist
Jenny O'Connor lives in the area with her husband Daniel English (an
Ojibwe tribal police officer) and their 7-year-old adopted son Waaboo -
whom Jenny found hidden under a rock when he was an infant.
Annie
O'Connor and her romantic partner Maria Lopez have flown in from
Guatemala, where they do social work in impoverished Mayan communities. 
As
the O'Connor family gathers for the auspicious occasion, two young
women are missing from Tamarack County: Olivia Hamilton, the teenage
daughter of a wealthy, influential state senator; and Crystal Two Knives
- a young Ojibwe woman. The search for Olivia is in high gear, but the
authorities show little concern for Crystal, and consider her a runaway.
Things
take a turn when Cork, his son Stephen, son-in-law Daniel, and grandson
Waaboo go blueberry picking. Cork takes the little group to a 'secret'
blueberry patch on the unoccupied property of a deceased recluse called
Erno Paavola. At the blueberry patch, Cork notices little Waaboo kneeling
on the ground beside his bucket, staring straight ahead, with his lips
moving as if he's talking to someone. Waaboo say's he's speaking to 'a
lady who's lost and sad.' 
It
turns out Waaboo has found a shallow grave, and since it might be the
burial site of the state senator's missing daughter Olivia, mulitple law
enforcement agencies - including the FBI, Minnesota’s Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota State Police - rush to the
area.
Meanwhile, Waaboo's family takes the child to Mide Henry
Meloux, who acknowledges Waaboo's spiritual abilities, and who intuits
the body in the blueberry patch is an Indian woman.
When
this turns out to be true, all investigators other than Indian police
and Tamarack County Sheriff Marsha Dross lose interest in the case and
leave.
The entire incident causes BIG trouble because journalists
hear rumors about Waaboo 'talking to ghosts' and the story spreads. The
perpetrator(s) who buried the Indian woman in the blueberry patch fear
Waaboo will expose them, and set out to kill the little boy. 
In the interim, Cork teams up with Sheriff Marsha Dross to investigate the Indian woman's murder. 
This
includes searching deceased Erno Paavola's cabin and grounds, and
interviewing Paavola's heirs, who (presumably) own the property now.
The case gets very complicated, and that's all I can say without spoilers.
In
the meantime, there's more going on in Tamarack County. The Stockbridge
oil pipeline is being laid in the area, and environmental groups are
staging demonstrations near the site.
Siblings
Stephen and Annie O'Connor join the protestors, and run afoul of a
vicious private security officer named Adrian Lewis. As things play out,
Lewis loses his job and blames Annie, whom he proceeds to follow and
harass. This is especially difficult for Annie, who's already dealing
with personal problems.
There's
danger, action, and adventure as the story rolls on, and as always, the
extended O'Connor family and their friends come together for the
challenges and celebrations. 
I
found the novel's convoluted storyline and large cast of characters a
little confusing, but I enjoyed the book and recommend it to mystery
fans.
Rating: 3.5 stars
