Thunder Bay by William Kent Kruger (Bk #7)

Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger


My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Two distractions right off the bat: WKK switched to first person POV for Corks voice. It was...off for me. Next distraction was the audiobooks fault, they changed the narrator. The narrator they switched to has done the five PJ Tracy Monkeewrench books, so instead of hearing "Cork's voice", all I heard was the characters from Monkeewrench. Again, put the book off for me.


However, POV and narrators aside, this was just a meh read. If you've been following the Cork O'Connor series (which has taken the reader to the North Shore, Chicago, and the Upper Pennisula of Michigan) we are now invited into Henry Meliu's past in Ontario which I found to be one huge cliche. Which I won't spoil for those folks who like the series. Actually the whole book felt like one large cliche.


And what is it with WKK's characters getting shot in the leg? First Cork, then young Meliu and Wally Shawno. As I grumped to the Husband about the book he pointed out the leg has replaced the shoulder for the 'injury' of choice in books now, due simply to the fact that some authors are trying to be medically correct. Getting shot in the shoulder is a complicated injury. Getting stabbed or injured in the leg, while painful, is not as complicated from an anatomical standpoint. Unless you hit a major artery. Then your character should be done for.


Two minor complaints: WKK noted Woodruff (or Henry, I forget) shot a Wild Turkey. Ahh, there are no Wild Turkeys in the area north and east of Ely, MN as represented in the book. The wild turkey is traditionally found well south of Duluth, dependent upon a hardwood forest and prairie interface to provide forage. The aspen and pine cover type that dominates the northeastern part of MN does not support this fine bird. Given the time frame of said shooting would have been 1940's/1950's? Bit of guessing here...the turkey had been hunted almost to extinction and even less likely to have been found in this corner of the States. Just sayin'....


Cardinals. Not a northern bird. This one surprised me too when I found it out. Last I heard, there were about 10 pairs known to be in the Duluth area. Not gonna find this little guy north of that. Maybe a Scarlet Tanager though. So Henry or Maurice are not going to be seeing a Cardinal in Ontario. Again, just sayin'....


Recommended with significant reservations.br/>




View all my reviews