Trickster's Point is the 13th book in Krueger's Cork O'Connor series.  It's hard to describe just what endears me to his books.  Cork O'Connor is part Irish and part Ojibwe.  He is a loving father and husband.  His children respect, honor, and love him.  He has had more than his share of life's tragedies.  He lost his father when only 13 years old.   Death always seems to be on his doorstep.  He is like a hound dog.  He is relentless in his pursuit of truth and justice.  He respects the elderly, his bloodline, and their tribal teachings.

 

Yet he's also a flawed character.  He is an atypical hero.  He is at times stubborn beyond reason.  He makes enemies just as easy as friends.  However, he always tries to be true to himself, which might be one of life's most difficult challenges.

 

In this latest book, Cork's best childhood friend takes an arrow to the heart while the two are out hunting.  He asks Cork not to go for help, but rather spend the last remaining minutes of his life with him.  Three hours tick by and Jubal Little passes over to finally meet his Gichi-manidoo.   Unfortunately, the arrow in Jubal's chest is one of Cork's and O'Connor is suspected of murder.  Cork's mission is to clear his name, but more importantly find his friend's assassin. Jubal, not unlike his close friend, Cork, has his share of enemies too.  Cork's list of suspects grows as he tries to backtrack the true killer's movements prior to the attack.

 

Tracking and backtracking are of importance since it is obvious that the murderer was schooled in the "old ways" of stalking prey.  As Cork plods along, another corpse is discovered, not far from where Jubal's body lay. Another of O'Connor's hand-made arrows is found in the eye of that man. 

 

Cork eyes the two women in Jubal's life as probable suspects, but in his heart he cannot find any peace in those possibilities. What Cork must do is determine just how far someone is willing to go in the name of love.

 

For those that are avid fans, this book will reinforce the reasons why reading a William Kent Krueger novel is like sitting down and eating a hot, heaping bowl of homemade chili...both warm one to the soul and leave one feeling fulfilled.