Michael B. (Ichabod) reviewed Spirit Crossing (20) (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series) on + 134 more book reviews
Missing Voices
"To the far too many who have been murdered or are still missing. Let them never be forgotten."-- Epigraph to Spirit Crossing
In his twentieth installment of the Cork O'Connor family, in a fictitious murder-mystery, William Kent Krueger shines a light on a horrifyingly ignored issue-- the disappearances and murders of indigenous women. Set in rural Minnesota, the white daughter of a state senator has been missing and when a body is discovered it causes a commotion, until it is determined the body is "only" a native girl. Now the federal government shows only a passing interest.
Cork O'Connor is a retired cop, part Irish and Anishinaabe Indian, who makes himself available to the Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police, where his son-in-law Daniel works. Daniel's seven-year-old son, Waaboo, is the one who discovered the corpse. The boy is blessed, or cursed, with the gift of seeing and seeing the dead.
"She can't find the path of souls," Waaboo said.
Unfortunately, Waaboo is drawing the attention of the press. They want to run with the sensational story of the boy's supernatural gift. Someone else is watching, too-- the murderer who sees Waaboo as a threat to be eliminated.
The O'Connor family is also involved in tense demonstrations against the construction of an oil pipeline running through land sacred to the Ojibwe people, a place called Spirit Crossing... land sacred to the Ojibwe people. The swelling presence of construction workers turns out to be a factor in the disappearance of some of the women.
There is another important theme. A family member has to face mortality, to come to grips with their own spirit crossing, to deal with their approaching journey down the path of souls. As the family reels from this news, they look to an old man for guidance. Henry Meloux, over a hundred years old, is a Mide-- a healer. He is also there to counsel Waaboo with the boy's visions and voices.
This is an enjoyable murder-mystery chock full of solid characters and issues significant to Native Americans. The book's importance is magnified by the voice it gives to thousands of victims both in the United States and Canada. A Canadian national inquiry labeled the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women a Canadian genocide. "4 out of 5 Native women are affected by violence today and American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average."-- Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
I have read and enjoyed a few of William Kent Krueger's booksâ not sure I can add the previous 19 Cook O'Connor books to my TBR list, but there is the temptation...
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"To the far too many who have been murdered or are still missing. Let them never be forgotten."-- Epigraph to Spirit Crossing
In his twentieth installment of the Cork O'Connor family, in a fictitious murder-mystery, William Kent Krueger shines a light on a horrifyingly ignored issue-- the disappearances and murders of indigenous women. Set in rural Minnesota, the white daughter of a state senator has been missing and when a body is discovered it causes a commotion, until it is determined the body is "only" a native girl. Now the federal government shows only a passing interest.
Cork O'Connor is a retired cop, part Irish and Anishinaabe Indian, who makes himself available to the Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police, where his son-in-law Daniel works. Daniel's seven-year-old son, Waaboo, is the one who discovered the corpse. The boy is blessed, or cursed, with the gift of seeing and seeing the dead.
"She can't find the path of souls," Waaboo said.
Unfortunately, Waaboo is drawing the attention of the press. They want to run with the sensational story of the boy's supernatural gift. Someone else is watching, too-- the murderer who sees Waaboo as a threat to be eliminated.
The O'Connor family is also involved in tense demonstrations against the construction of an oil pipeline running through land sacred to the Ojibwe people, a place called Spirit Crossing... land sacred to the Ojibwe people. The swelling presence of construction workers turns out to be a factor in the disappearance of some of the women.
There is another important theme. A family member has to face mortality, to come to grips with their own spirit crossing, to deal with their approaching journey down the path of souls. As the family reels from this news, they look to an old man for guidance. Henry Meloux, over a hundred years old, is a Mide-- a healer. He is also there to counsel Waaboo with the boy's visions and voices.
This is an enjoyable murder-mystery chock full of solid characters and issues significant to Native Americans. The book's importance is magnified by the voice it gives to thousands of victims both in the United States and Canada. A Canadian national inquiry labeled the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women a Canadian genocide. "4 out of 5 Native women are affected by violence today and American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average."-- Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
I have read and enjoyed a few of William Kent Krueger's booksâ not sure I can add the previous 19 Cook O'Connor books to my TBR list, but there is the temptation...
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As usual from this author a spine-tingling tale that highlights the problem of missing and murdered Native Women, and many insights into the world of North American Native Americans.
