Heaven's Keep: A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mysteries)

by: William Kent Krueger

Published by: Atria Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

It’s official. William Kent Krueger has replaced James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly and Robert Crais as my favorite male mystery writer. The reason is simple; he just keeps on getting better and better at his craft.

Cork O’Connor has had a disagreement with his wife, Jo, over his desire to return to the sheriff’s department. They let the sun go down on their disagreement and now Jo is out of town. She felt the need to make contact with Cork before boarding the plane on the next leg of her trip, but is unable to reach him. She vows to try when she reaches her destination. Before that can happen, the plane she is on disappears in Wyoming.

In Part One, the search is on for Jo. Cork and son, Stevie, travel to search for Jo and encounter bad weather and harsh terrain that makes locating the plane all but impossible. After day seven and 144 hours, father and son return home.
But months later, Cork gains information from Liz Burns and also Rebecca Bodine (wife of the pilot of Jo’s plane) that indicates not all was as reported about the crash. After watching a tape where a left-handed man drank and smoked using both hands, Cork believes there might be more to his wife’s disappearance than he thought and he’s determined to find out what happened.

Heaven’s Keep is an examination of the pain felt by a man who just might have lost his life mate. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages long after one should have turned out the lights for the night. And for locals who love Once Upon A Crime mystery bookstore (my favorite indy bookstore), there is a cameo appearance by the former owner. I laughed out loud.

Heaven’s Keep indicates a new direction for Aurora, Minnesota and Cork and company. I can’t wait for the next Cork O’Connor novel.

Armchair Interviews says: A FIVE STAR read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.WilliamKentKrueger.com