Sandie Herron has been tearing through the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger. Here’s her review of the eighth in the series, Red Knife. Thank you, Sandie.
Red Knife
Written by William Kent Krueger
Narrated by Buck Schirner
Series: Cork O’Connor, Book 8
Unabridged Audiobook
Brilliance Audio (9/2/2008)
Listening Length: 9 hours 31 minutes
Kristi Reinhardt seemed to have it all – good looks, good health, good family – until she became addicted to meth. Rehab helped her come clean, but two months later she was dead of an overdose. Her father Buck Reinhardt, a powerful and successful businessman who blames her addiction on a gang of Ojibwe men called the Red Boyz, vows revenge. The leader of the gang, Alexander Kingbird, sends former sheriff of Tamarack County Cork O’Connor a note asking for his help. Popular belief is that Kingbird is hiding the man responsible for the girl’s death, Lonnie Thunder. Kingbird wants Cork to arrange a meeting between him and Reinhardt, to try and stop a war before it begins.
Cork often finds himself in the middle of affairs between the white man and the Ojibwe since he is of mixed blood. No longer sheriff, he is now a private investigator and runs Sam’s Place, a burger joint, during the summer months. He is also straddling the line between family man and law man. He cares deeply for his wife and children yet he also cares for the people of Aurora, Minnesota.
When Kingbird and his wife are killed execution style, they leave behind an infant daughter found at the scene by his grandmother. The current sheriff, Marsha Dross, catches Cork leaving church that morning, and asks him to accompany her to the scene. Cork visits another gang member, Tom Blessing, who is also cousin to Lonnie Thunder. With Kingbird gone, Cork figures the gang will look to Tom now.
Cork goes on to visit the elected tribal chairman of the Iron Lake Ojibwe who wonders what a meeting between Kingbird and Reinhardt would have accomplished. Cork relays that Kingbird was going to offer Reinhardt justice. Neither man knows quite what that would have been.
Returning home, Cork’s wife Jo questions his motives for getting involved and is concerned for his personal safety. The next day, Cork steps back from the investigation, to the Sheriff’s dismay. Yet that same evening, Cork is lured to Sam’s Place with his young son Stevie, and they are shot at. A warning from Lonnie Thunder. My heart leapt when Cork saw blood on Stevie. There’s no keeping Cork away now.
Kent Krueger explores the effects of violence on relationships in this eighth entry in the Cork O’Connor series. Fathers and daughters, sons and fathers, husband and wife, brothers, the white man and the Indian. He observes the effects of violence on the people involved, directly and indirectly, and how the violence changes those relationships, small and large. And just when you think you’ve examined all the relationships, Krueger includes yet another form of violence.
Red Knife is an excellent entry in this superb series. I found the introspection of a long-time lawman unusual yet refreshing. Cork’s inner turmoil turns outward with the events of this story so that each character confronts it in their own way. While I’d like to think these meanderings are no longer needed, that man had found a way to counteract some of the turmoil, violence and its demolition are timeless.
This audiobook was narrated by Buck Schirner and published by Brilliance Audio. I enjoy Schirner’s easy going voice and steady pace. Unfortunately, this version is currently out of print. However, a new version narrated by David Chandler and published by Recorded Books was released on 10/11/2019 and is easily available.
William Kent Krueger’s website is https://williamkentkrueger.com/
Red Knife by William Kent Krueger. Atria Books, 2008. ISBN 9781416556749 (hardcover), 320p.
I am finally that several books that I want to read are out of print. I loved a 2nd book by the author so much that I really wanted to read the 1st book. I bought an audiobook from Amazon that was a library discard. Almost finished with a different audio book. A mother who has dementia has lost in Vietnam. I guess it is sort of a warning to the listener’s that the blurb say that the screams may be alarming,
I hate that, Carolee, when books I want to read are no longer available. Have you checked your local public library, or asked about borrowing it through interlibrary loan?
The first book in the series, IRON LAKE, is available new in both paperback and ebook, and used paperbacks are on ABE.
As for this one, having read the series through more than once, I’d rate it as one of the weaker ones, though it is good. Heck, they’re all good and worth reading.
I recently finished listening — or re-listening — to the Cork Corcoran series in order. It took a while. Recorded Books did several, then Brilliance did three, and then RB picked them up again. When you get used to a narrator you think of that voice when you think of the books — for me, the Brilliance narrator was not a patch on the RB narrator. I understand that William Kent Krueger has a contract for three more Cork books. Bring ’em on!
Were the audio books single-narrator or a cast? If the former, how did the reader do with various voices?
They were a single narrator. There were some small differences in the voices of different characters but nothing overly dramatic. I know that some narrators put a lot of effort into differentiating the voices of various characters, but neither David Chandler or Buck Schirner do a ton to make different voices but there were subtle differences that were worth the effort. If you definitely prefer hearing the same narrator for the entire series, all but one title are available by David Chandler. Plans are in the works to get that last one done by Chandler as well. The two men are close in their reading anyway. My quibble with Chandler is that he can be overly dramatic with his pauses throughout his reading.
I understand the audio books were single narrator, but I’ll ask Sandie to return and answer questions. I know she has an opinion as to which narrator was better as well.
And, Lightning Strike, the forthcoming prequel is wonderful as a print book.