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Contents
Vermilion Drift
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Epilogue
‘Tamarack County’ Excerpt
Northwest Angle
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Epilogue
Trickster’s Point
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Reviews
About the Author
Reader’s Companion
About the Author
“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
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Blog
williamkentkrueger.com/blog
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, TRICKSTER’S POINT
“Although there's plenty of excitement in this plot, Krueger is moving deeper into psychological territory with each book is this series.”
—St. Paul Pioneer Press
“While the murder mystery is an essential element of the novel, more important is the look at the relationships of the various characters, to each other and to the locale.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Krueger has crafted a strong and memorable series that never fails to surpass itself with each installment. Trickster's Point continues that tradition, containing some of Krueger’s best prose to date in what is perhaps his strongest, most intriguing novel yet.”
—Book Reporter
“Unlike many series, Cork and company age and evolve with each book. Time does not stand still and we share in the triumphs and tragedies of Cork. We watch his children grow up and, in some cases, move away. That constant change makes these novels all the more compelling.”
—Crimespree Magazine
“Mystery fans can count on William Kent Krueger for an absorbing book with lots of twists and turns. He's an author who isn't afraid to take chances with his characters.”
—Denver Post
“An absorbing plot and a rewarding read.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Krueger’s intimate knowledge of Minnesota’s northern reaches and respect for Native American life, ancient and modern, provide an intricate setting for this gem of a mystery."
—Publisher's Weekly
“In addition to having a plot as cunningly treacherous as Trickster’s Point itself, Krueger’s latest mystery has that elegiac tone that’s perfectly suited to O’Connor’s character and to the harsh landscape where he lives and works.”
—Booklist
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, NORTHWEST ANGLE
"Well-written and suspenseful, this book contains characters worthy of our emotional involvement. Krueger, as always, spins a good yarn, somewhat in the style of Dick Francis in his heyday, where both ingenuity and endurance are necessary to sustain the hero"
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
"William Kent Krueger never writes the same book twice, and this one is no exception. He combines elements of mystery and thriller to make a book that is non-stop entertainment. But Krueger never forgets the human aspect, which is always the driving force of his carefully crafted novels.... This outstanding book, the eleventh in the O’Connor series, should not be missed."
—Deadly Pleasures
“Part adventure, part mystery, and all knockout thriller. . . Catch-your breath suspense throughout.”
—Booklist
"Solid storytelling and intriguing characterizations combine for a sobering look at the power of family and faith and Native American culture. Krueger never writes the same book twice as each installment finds him delving deeper into Cork's psyche."
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR 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
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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
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ch
apter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Epilogue
‘Tamarack County’ Excerpt
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Vermilion One Mine and the Ladyslipper Mine, which appear in this work, are fictitious. There are, however, real mines that are very similar in their design, scope, and history, and I’ve used elements of these actual places in the construction of this story. But I want to stress to anyone familiar with the remarkable area we call the Iron Range that I have taken liberties with fact in both geography and geology.
I’m extremely grateful to James Pointer of the Soudan Underground Mine State Park for the gift of his time and his knowledge. The morning I spent with him half a mile underground continues to be a remarkable memory for me. I’ve done my best to give readers the same sense of admiration that he gave me for the enterprise of the men who spent their lives working in near dark conditions to wrest iron from the earth. If you’re ever in northern Minnesota, I can’t recommend highly enough a tour of the Soudan Mine, which is operated by the state of Minnesota. I guarantee you’ll never take fresh air and sunlight for granted again.
I also want to thank the staff of the Minnesota Discovery Center (formerly known as Ironworld), particularly those in the Research Center, who helped me locate a wealth of information in the archives. This resource is invaluable to all of us for a continued understanding and appreciation of the rich culture and history of the Iron Range.
I’m indebted to Dr. Garry Peterson, Chief Medical Examiner Emeritus of Hennepin County, Minnesota, for his help in understanding death, its aftermath, and the clues that bodies, no matter how ancient, can offer in unraveling the mystery of murder.
Finally, for their warm hospitality, a big thanks to all the staff at the wonderful little coffee shop called The Java Train, where the bulk of this novel was written.
PROLOGUE
Some nights, Corcoran O’Connor dreams his father’s death.
Although the dream differs in the details, it always follows the same general pattern: His father falls from a great height. Sometimes he stumbles backward over a precipice, his face an explosion of surprise. Or he’s climbing a high, flat face of rock and, just as he reaches for the top, loses his grip and, in falling, appears both perplexed and angry. Or he steps into an empty elevator shaft, expecting a floor that is not there, and looks skyward with astonishment as the darkness swallows him.