Vermilion Drift
Authors: William Kent Krueger
Tags: #Suspense, #Fiction, #General, #Mystery & Detective
“For someone who writes such muscular prose, Krueger has a light touch that humanizes his characters.”
—The New York Times Book Review
Called “one of those rare writers who manages to keep the suspense alive until the final page”
(Kirkus), New York Times
bestselling author William Kent Krueger delivers a powerful new Cork O’Connor thriller—a sobering reminder that even those closest to our hearts can house the deadliest of secrets.
Deep in an underground iron mine in Tamarack County, Minnesota, Cork stumbles across the remains of six murder victims. Five appear to be nearly half a century old—connected to a series of unsolved disappearances when Cork’s father was sheriff. But the sixth has been dead less than a week. What’s worse, two of the bodies—including the most recent victim—were killed using Cork’s own gun, one handed down to him from his father. As Cork searches for answers, he must dig into his own past and that of his father, a well-respected man who harbored a ghastly truth. Time is running out, however. New threats surface, and unless Cork can unravel the tangled thread of clues, more death is sure to come.
“The surprise ending makes this novel a worthwhile find.”—
People
“Krueger is a master at pacing. Once you begin a Cork O’Connor mystery, it’s hard to put it down.”—
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Can a writer keep getting better and better? Krueger surely can.”
—St. Paul Pioneer Press
WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER is the award-winning author of eleven Cork O’Connor mysteries, including the
New York Times
bestsellers
Vermilion Drift
and
Northwest Angle
. All are available from Atria Books. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family.
Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Author Page
authors.simonandschuster.com/William-Kent-Krueger/
Author Website
Facebook
facebook.com/#!/williamkentkrueger
Blog
Critics rave about
New York Times
bestselling author
WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER’S
“explosive” (The Boston Globe) Cork O’Connor novels
“One of those hometown heroes you rarely see… someone so decent and true, he might restore his town’s battered faith in the old values.”
—
The New York Times Book Review
Praise for
Vermilion Drift
…
“According to this writer’s code, a hero is allowed to break down and cry, and even a murderer can die with dignity.”
—
The New York Times Book Review
“As always, Krueger’s writing couples the best of literary and commercial fiction, with intelligent, well-defined characters populating the story…. Krueger fans will find a feast in between these covers, and for those who have yet to sample his fine and evocative writing, the book offers a complex yet completely believable plot, all tied up in words sharpened by one of the modern masters of the craft.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
“Rock-solid prose combines with effective characterizations and a logical if complex plot for a thrilling read. This book succeeds on every level and ought to attract the author a deservingly wide readership.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“Krueger lays [his story] out with remarkable sensitivity and emotional depth, one reason why this series of mysteries is so satisfying…. A world and characters so real that you’d swear you could drive up and visit them sometime…. His best yet.”
—
Star-Tribune
(Minneapolis, MN)
“Beautifully written and deeply moving.”
—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“As with all of Krueger’s stories, powerful and compelling writing propel this novel…. Filled with characters readers have come to care about, a timely and compelling plot, and a satisfying conclusion. It should be on the list of everyone who loves a well-told tale—and isn’t that all of us?”
—Deadly Pleasures
… and for the entire award-winning Cork O’Connor series
IRON LAKE
Winner of the Anthony Award • Barry Award Loft-McKnight Fiction Award • Minnesota Book Award
“A wildly intelligent, all-Minnesota novel.”
—
St. Paul Pioneer Press
BOUNDARY WATERS
“Krueger’s writing, strong and bold yet with the mature mark of restraint, pulls this exciting search-and-rescue through with a hard yank.”
—
Publishers Weekly
PURGATORY RIDGE
Winner of the Dilys Award • Minnesota Book Award Northeastern Minnesota Book Award
“Combines a first-class plot with excellent writing.”
—
The Denver Post
BLOOD HOLLOW
Winner of the Anthony Award
“The prose is so good and the plotting so deft that readers will be hard put to stop reading once they begin. Krueger has moved to the head of the crime fiction class with this one.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
MERCY FALLS
Winner of the Anthony Award
“A novel that will keep the reader guessing through the final pages of the tale.”
—
The Denver Post
COPPER RIVER
Winner of the Minnesota Book Award Named the Honor Book in Fiction at the Midwest Booksellers’ Choice Awards
“This series gets darker and more elegantly written with every book.”
—
Booklist
THUNDER BAY
Winner of the Dilys Award • Lovey Award • Minnesota Book Award • Northeastern Minnesota Book Award
“
Thunder Bay
is William Kent Krueger’s finest work. A strong story with a fast-beating heart.”
—Michael Connelly
RED KNIFE
“Outstanding…. Simply and elegantly told.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
HEAVEN’S KEEP
“Every aspect of this novel is unreservedly convincing…. This book—indeed, this series—is not to be missed.”
—Deadly Pleasures
ALSO BY WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER
Northwest Angle
Heaven’s Keep
Red Knife
Thunder Bay
Copper River
Mercy Falls
Blood Hollow
The Devil’s Bed
Purgatory Ridge
Boundary Waters
Iron Lake
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by William Kent Krueger
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Atria Paperback edition June 2011
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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Krueger, William Kent.
Vermilion Drift : a novel / by William Kent Krueger. — 1st Atria Books hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. O’Connor, Cork (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Private investigators—Minnesota—Fiction. 3. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 4. Cold cases (Criminal investigation)—Fiction. 5. Minnesota—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3561.R766V47 2010
813'.54—dc22
2010013258
ISBN 978-1-4391-5384-0
ISBN 978-1-4391-5387-1 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4391-7215-5 (ebook)
For Sarah Branham, my champion
In terms of the despiritualization of the universe, the mental process works so that it becomes virtuous to destroy the planet.
—Russell Means
