Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed on 8/17/2017 + 1031 more book reviews

The mystery in this book is not particularly surprising, but there is a great sense of place and a foreboding atmosphere. Cork's resentment over losing the sheriff's office, his guilt about his marriage, his love for his children all come through very clearly. I thought Krueger's story of why Cork was recalled was too easy on the character; if that scene were in the news today I don't think public sentiment would swing away from the sheriff, and I don't see a current lawman having so much guilt over it. IMO anyway. I liked how Cork inserted himself into the murder investigations and charged right along as though he were still the sheriff; that the current sheriff let him do it was also interesting. A welcome departure from the mystery stereotype is that Cork does not become a suspect himself, although it's thrown out there, nothing comes of it.

All in all, while the mystery itself and some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, the scene-setting and character building are excellent. I finished the book in about 5 hours without effort, so it zooms right along. Very easy to see why this has become a successful series.

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