Vermilion Drift

A Cork O'Connor Mystery, Book 10

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: David Chandler

Some nights, Corcoran O'Connor dreams his father's death.

William Kent Krueger's gripping tale of suspense begins with a recurring nightmare, a gun, and a wound in the earth so deep and horrific that it has a name: Vermilion Drift.

When the Department of Energy puts an underground iron mine on its short list of potential sites for storage of nuclear waste, a barrage of protest erupts in Tamarack County, Minnesota, and Cork is hired as a security consultant.

Deep in the mine during his first day on the job, Cork stumbles across a secret room that contains the remains of six murder victims. Five appear to be nearly half a century old - connected to what the media once dubbed "The Vanishings", a series of unsolved disappearances in the summer of 1964, when Cork's father was sheriff in Tamarack County. 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 quickly, more death is sure to come.

Vermilion Drift is a powerful novel, filled with all the mystery and suspense for which Krueger has won so many awards. A poignant portrayal of the complexities of family life, it's also a sobering reminder that even those closest to our hearts can house the darkest - and deadliest - of secrets.

©2010 William Kent Krueger (P)2019 Recorded Books

Another great book in the series

How this character, the area, and the stories keep on developing over the series is stellar.

I needed a roadmap

Love the sense of place that he conveys and the feeling for Native American culture. I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters.

One of the darkest in the series.

I liked the resolution of his father’s history and dealing with Jo’s death. But still very dark and distasteful.

Awesome reader

Difficult subject matter was hard to read but the Native American storyline was very informative & interesting.

Listen to it

Creepy and satisfying. Carefully keep track of the different characters. Love Cork O’Connor. Vulnerable yet capable.