Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

 

"But tonight, around this fire, it is not about trying to understand what awaits us beyond this life. It is about enjoying the gift in this moment together, here under these stars, as the night sings to us. What you are afraid you have lost, Corcoran O'Connor, is not lost at all. The joy of your friendships, of your family, of moments like this when our spirits touch, this will always be with you. When the journey ahead takes you to the darkest of places, the joy in these memories will be a part of the light that helps you see your way through. This I promise."

              -Henry Meloux, from the novel

This is my 21st novel by this author and I have loved them all! It is #18 in the Cork O'Connor series. I fear there may only be a couple more. I surely hope Krueger will continue the series.

Lightning Strike was very different in that it portrays Cork as a 12-year-old boy. Others in the series have featured him as an adult, as sheriff of Tamarack County and later, a private investigator. In other episodes, Cork has mentioned his father, Liam, who preceded him as sheriff, but this one has Liam as a main character. We learn more about Cork's mother and Grandmother Dilsey, too, but many other characters reappear such as Henry Meloux, the Mide or healer whose wisdom I love to quote.

The novel begins with adult Cork having just been sworn in as sheriff and looking back to the summer of 1963 when his life would change dramatically. The rest of the book recalls that story beginning with Cork and his young friends discovering the dead body of Big John Manydeeds, an Anishinaabe of the Iron Lake Reservation. At first Liam assumes a suicide but with Cork and friends doing their own investigating, clues to foul play are slowly uncovered.

From this series and other books by Krueger, I have learned much about the native culture in the area around Minnesota. It is very sad to read of the ill treatment of these First Americans. Here is a quote that illustrates: "They tried blankets tainted with smallpox. They tried guns. They tried boarding schools. Now they're trying this [Relocation Act of 1956]. It's all meant to separate us from one another, to wring out what makes us who we are." (Grandma Dilsey)

I found this prequel a page turner; I rate it a 5!