Desolation Mountain

Great plot & story.

The first parts of this book are filled with promise for the reader. A plane carrying a U. S. senator crashes near the titled mountain under sinister circumstances. Soon thereafter, Cork O’Connor’s young son Stephen has a vision which equates to the crash as well as other events that can be loosely associated with this terrible event. Desolation Mountain is located in northern Minnesota on an Ojibwe reservation and the native inhabitants view the mountain as a cursed place. The FBI is quickly on the scene and the locals who witnessed the crash and its after effects are soon barred from the area. It’s pretty clear that a coverup operation is being managed by the government. There is also a hunt for the “black box” that will give clues about the aircraft’s last moments but it can’t be found. There are many fascinating characters who seem to have a stake in what caused the crash and its outcome, including local law enforcement, native Americans from the reservation, and investigators from Washington, D. C. I felt the plot became slow and cumbersome as if the author had to “pad” the book’s center with unnecessary words. I was also disappointed with the plot’s resolution because there was little excitement or tension at the book’s ending. At the start I felt like this book could be a five star experience but I ultimately downgraded it to three.

"Desolation Mountain" is William Kent Krueger's latest novel featuring Cork O'Connor and his ever expanding family with son, Stephen, now a major player with his father. Stephen has another unexplained vision of an air tragedy which is followed by a plane crash on Desolation Mountain which kills a US senator. Cork and Stephen respond to the crash site along with several indians from the reservation but all are soon shooed away by the FBI.Soon, many of the first responders disappear as more and more government agencies appear to search the crash zone. It is abundantly clear that the government is searching for something that was on that plane besides the bodies. The most sinister of the searchers is a para military group led by Gerard, who seem focused on finding the missing item and keeping locals away at any cost.Bo Thorson, who once worked a case with Cork, is a former secret service agent and now a private operative, also shows up and hooks up with Cork and his group in the search; however, Cork and readers will soon begin guessing whose side Bo is really on. Twists and turns keep the reader guessing as the suspense level rapidly ratchets up. Although I truly enjoyed this Cork O'Coonor novel, I was disappointed with Krueger's political sentiments seeping through the narrative too often. Again I ask all fiction authors not to hammer their loyal yet captive reading audience with their personal views of the government, big business, climate change, etc. Most of us read fiction to get away from the constant proselytizing of media "news".

He is one of my favorite authors, and I love this Cork O'Connor series. I have to say this was the least favorite of all the 17 (?) books I've read in this series, but it was still very good. Every book has a different focus, and this one just didn't appeal to me as much as the others. A bit of espionage, which is not my thing. I do recommend starting with book 1 in the series and reading all the way through, because the character development is awesome. Each time I pick up another one, I feel like I'm visiting with old friends. Highly recommend Ordinary Grace, a stand-alone by this great author.

I am a life long reader - and I read the whole genre of literature from Politics to basket weavingwith one exception, I don’t read romance novels. Kruger’s books, all 18 + of them, are withoutexception the overall best writer I have ever read. After reading the first one I was hooked - I nowhave all of them. He tells the story in such a way you are there with him, walking in the woods,or facing whatever obstacles he encounters. He has a “sit on the front porch rocking chair” demeanorthat comes thru in all of his novels. I have but one promise & that is you won’t be disappointed.