Apostle's Cove

Cork O'Connor is forced to confront an episode from his past in William Kent Krueger's Apostle's Cove (#1,362), the latest in his popular Cork O'Connor mystery series set in northern Minnesota.  A brutal murder which took place in Aurora twenty-five years ago has re-surfaced when Cork's son Steve, a law student, begins working for an organization similar to The Innocence Project.  Although Cork has long been retired as sheriff in town, the murder of Chastity McGill has always haunted him.  His feelings are confirmed when Steve phones to tell him he's convinced his father sent the wrong man to jail.

Cork and Steve's investigation (with the help of his daughter Jenny) stirs up old wounds in Aurora.  It quickly becomes obvious that someone does not want to re-visit Chastity's murder, especially her glamorous and infamous mother Aphrodite.  She was found at the time with a bloody knife sitting by her daughter's body.  Could she be responsible?  The problem is that Chastity's estranged husband Axel Boshey long ago confessed to the crime and has been behind bars for decades.  When Cork confronts him, he maintains that he is doing good behind bars, and that is where he belongs.  But as facts are slowly uncovered, Cork is convinced that the real murderer is still out there...

This was the perfect time of year to be reading this book, as it is set in the Halloween season.  The crime is presented in both the past and the present as justice slowly grinds.  It is good to spend time with familiar characters.