Sulfur Springs

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: David Chandler

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

In William Kent Krueger's latest pulse-pounding thriller, Cork O'Connor's search for a missing man in the Arizona desert puts him at the center of a violent power struggle along the Mexican border, a struggle that might cost Cork everything and everyone he holds most dear.

On the Fourth of July, just as fireworks are about to go off in Aurora, Minnesota, Cork O'Connor and his new bride Rainy Bisonette listen to a desperate voicemail left by Rainy's son, Peter. The message is garbled and full of static, but they hear Peter confess to the murder of someone named Rodriguez. When they try to contact him, they discover that his phone has gone dead.

The following morning, Cork and Rainy fly to Coronado County in southern Arizona, where Peter has been working as a counselor in a well-known drug rehab center. When they arrive, they learn that Peter was fired six months earlier and hasn't been heard from since. So they head to the little desert town of Sulfur Springs where Peter has been receiving his mail. But no one in Sulfur Springs seems to know him. They do, however, recognize the name Rodriguez. Carlos Rodriguez is the head of a cartel that controls everything illegal crossing the border from Mexico into Coronado County.

As they gather scraps of information about Peter, Cork and Rainy are warned that there is a war going on along the border. "Trust no one in Coronado County" is a refrain they hear again and again. And to Cork, Arizona is alien country. The relentless heat and absence of water, tall trees, and cool forests feel nightmarish to him, as does his growing sense that Rainy might know more about what's going on than she's willing to admit. And if he can't trust Rainy, who can he trust?

Featuring Krueger's signature talent of "creating strong characters, building drama and conflict, braiding in Indian legend and spirituality, and spinning a good yarn" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Sulfur Springs is a fresh, exhilarating, and white-knuckle mystery starring one of the greatest heroes of fiction.

©2017 William Kent Krueger (P)2017 Recorded Books

Editing issues

Story and narration wonderful as always with Cork series... can here technician on audio though.

I love this book!

Great story! I could not put it down! I highly recommend it! Great narrator. Very engaging.

Good story but too political for my taste

If you could sum up Sulfur Springs in three words, what would they be?

Good mystery but didn't like the refugee focus

Any additional comments?

I have been a WKK fan from the beginning. Love the northern Minnesota stories. While I understand his sympathy for Mexican refugees just opening our borders to uncontrolled immigration is not practical. He could have put the focus on the horrible places and people in Mexico causing people to risk their lives to sneak into the US.

Always Awesome Story

What did you love best about Sulfur Springs?

The story line, the plot, what is there not to love if you love a good story as well as a good mystery. This story was somewhat different as it was written from first person in the beginning and then later transitioned to more of third person. I love that it recognizes the spirituality of human beings.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Of course Cork. He is the main character, miss Rose, but I will anxiously waiting to see how Rainey is developed.

Which character – as performed by David Chandler – was your favorite?

I love David Chandler. He also narrates Joe Pickett by CJ Box. I would have to see David is a top notch narrator and one of my favorites along with George Guidall.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book kept my interest from the very beginning until the very end.

Any additional comments?

I want to hear/read more about Cork, Rainey, their family including Henry Moulux?.

Joe Pickett <br />

I like the Joe Pickett character. I also like to hear the guy read, tha's reading this book.

Awesome

As always the book was good .
Keep up with the Cork O Connor and the great state of Minnesota Mysteries..

Change of scenery, still excellent story

Former sheriff, now private investigator Cork O’Connor has married Ojibwe mide Rainy Bisonette as this novel opens. Still newlyweds living in Aurora, Minnesota near Iron Lake, Rainy receives a garbled message from her son Peter, who is in danger. Cork and Rainy drop everything and fly to Sulfur Springs, Arizona where they discover Peter isn’t working or living where he told them. They begin inquires, but this is a strange new land, filled with unfamiliar landscapes. Sulfur Springs is on the border of the United States and Mexico, and the border wall looms large over the town. However, they do find a small vineyard where Peter had been working, but he did not show up for work that day.

Waking on their second day to the intense heat with much worry, Cork remotely starts their rental car and it blows up. They have been given a message, perhaps from Carlos Rodriquez, head of the cartel known as the Skulls. Rainy and Cork continue to talk with residents until they connect with the pastor of Peter’s church who not only gives them a place to stay and lends them her vehicle but gives them a contact. They meet with Nikki who knows Peter and explains the plight of so many people south of the border desperate to get into the United States. With his skills from the Afghan war, Peter can move through the desert without being seen, guiding people to safety.

Peter works with a group known as the Desert Angels. Peter’s vineyard employer Frank Harris and his worker Jocko are also involved and flew Peter to his last mission. But Peter wasn’t at the prearranged pick up point later. Cork flies with Jocko looking for Peter to no avail and returns to his place where Rainy is waiting. Only all Cork finds is her cell phone in a pool of blood.

There is a complex war going on in Coronado County between many groups. The Desert Angels are helping immigrants cross the border to freedom from the horrendous conditions in Central America. Working against them is the local cartel run by Carlos Rodriquez and his sons and against them the cartel run by Rainy’s ex-husband. Yet working against them all is the White Horse vigilante group, the local real estate agent trying to build a paradise, local law enforcement, the border patrol, the task force of the FBI and other agencies, and other local interests. Trust no one but family is the theme running through this complicated tale.

Narrator David Chandler does an excellent job with the languages he pronounces from Guatemalan to Mexican to Ojibwe. All were translated so the reader doesn’t need to interpret, and the flavor of this southern place is very strong. Numerous social issues are presented and even debated such as the border wall, rampant racism, illegal immigration, the drug trade, but any conclusions are left to the reader. Author Krueger describes the landscape and scenery in his usual evocative way. We are in a new, and very different, land in this 16th entry of the Cork O’Connor series. In Krueger’s hands, we are treated to an intricate mystery that is highly recommended.

Good but…

Now, 6 years after this book was written it is clear to me that the self righteous tone of liberal/progressive “wall is bad” is tremendously outdated and was always short sighted. Now with literally millions of illegals flooding the border only the blind realize that this “fentanyl highway” is not the right way to handle our border.
Yes borders are artificial, but so are stop lights and speed limits but they serve a vital purpose. And are crucial to a functioning country - they are not evil. What is evil is the human and drug trafficking that would not exist if we had a functioning border
But
I love the stories if I hold my temper

good mystery with many twists

there is so many twists in this book it was hard to put it down excellent mystery the performance match the quality of writing

Great one again by William.

I got skeptical at first when I realized the story would take place outside of Minnesota. The settings in Northern MN remind me of home. Good feelings. But this one delivered just as good, if not better than past ones in the O'Connor series. I like the dark but intelligent side of Cork's character.
Great listen.