2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

With his family caught in the crosshairs of a group of brutal killers, detective Cork O’Connor must solve the murder of a young girl in the latest installment of William Kent Krueger’s unforgettable New York Times bestselling series.

During a houseboat vacation on the remote Lake of the Woods, a violent gale sweeps through unexpectedly, stranding Cork and his daughter, Jenny, on a devastated island where the wind has ushered in a force far darker and more deadly than any storm.

Amid the wreckage, Cork and Jenny discover an old trapper’s cabin where they find the body of a teenage girl. She wasn’t killed by the storm, however; she’d been bound and tortured before she died. Whimpering sounds coming from outside the cabin lead them to a tangle of branches toppled by the vicious winds. Underneath the debris, they find a baby boy, hungry and dehydrated, but still very much alive. Powerful forces intent on securing the child pursue them to the isolated Northwest Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among the residents is in league with the devil. Cork understands that to save his family he must solve the puzzle of this mysterious child whom death follows like a shadow.

Settings
Aurora, Minnesota
Lake of the Woods, Minnesota

Prologue
53 Chapters
Epilogue

Character List
(view spoiler)[
Corcoran (Cork) O'Connor: Former sheriff of Tamarack County who is back to running Sam's Place, a hamburger restaurant and is also a private investigator. He was previously fired as sheriff, ran the restaurant for three years and then agreed to return as sheriff. He lasted about four months. He's half Irish, half Anishinaabe. He's was married to Jo until she was murdered two years ago and father of their three children. He had previously been a policeman in Chicago before moving back to Aurora.
Jenny O'Connor: Jo and Cork's 24-year old oldest daughter who now is in the University of Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop, a graduate program. She’s involved with a young man there who’s a poet and a farmer.
Anne (Annie) O'Connor: Jo and Cork's 21-year old youngest daughter. She recently returned from an El Salvador mission program sponsored by St. Ansgar College where she’s completed her junior year.
Stephen O'Connor: Jo and Cork's 15-year old son. He’s very much connected to his Ojibwe roots. His Ojibwe name is Makadewagosh, given to him by Henry, and it means Silver Fox.
Rose Thorne: Jo's sister and Cork's sister-in-law. She’s married to Mal.
Mal Thorne: Former priest at St. Agnes, now married to Rose. They live in Evanston.
Aaron: Jeny O'Connor's boyfriend.
Henry Meloux (Mad Mel): Elderly Anishinaabe Indian, an Midewiwin medicine man who lives with his niece, Rainy, on the remote point around the northwest end of the lake. He's a member of the Grand Medicine Society and a good friend of Cork's. He’s well into his 90s.
Rainy Bisonette: Henry’s niece who’s caring for him these days. She’s studying to be a Mide, a healer and member of the Grand Medicine Society.
Marsha Dross: Tamarack County sheriff.
Ed Larson: Captain and Tamarack County deputy. He heads up major crimes investigations for the department.
George Azevedo: Tamarack County deputy.
Howard Morgan: Tamarack County deputy.
Pender: Tamarack County deputy.
Amos Powassin: Friend of Henry’s who lives in the Northwest Angle Reserve.
Cherri Allen: Originally from Michigan, she married into the Powassin family and handles visitor issues on one of the Northwest Angle Reserves near Young’s Bay Landing.
Seth Bascombe: Man who rescued Mal and Rose. He is a retired ATF agent now managing a resort on Oak Island.
Tom Kretsch: Northwest Angle deputy sheriff.
Lynn Belgea: Nurse practitioner at Young’s Bay Landing.
Babs Larson: Lynn’s friend.
Lily Smalldog: Teenaged Ojibwe girl who worked at the religious compound on Stump Island.
Waaboo: Name Stephen provided for the Ojibwe baby Jenny discovered after the storm. Short for Waaboozoons, meaning Little Rabbit.
Noah Smalldog: Lily’s half brother.
Vivian Smalldog: Lily and Noah’s mother.
Leon Smalldog: Noah’s father.
Sonny Chickaway: Lily and Noah’s friend.
Jerusalem Hornett: Founder of the Church of Seven Trumpets. He was married to Abigail and father of their two sons, Gabriel and Joshua. He died before the group moved to Stump Island.
Abigail Hornett: The de facto leader of the Church of Seven Trumpets, an extreme religious group on Stump Island. She’s Gabriel and Joshua’s mother, Jerusalem’s widow.
Gabriel (Gabe) Hornett: Abigail’s oldest son and head of the Camp on Stump Island.
Esther Hornett: Gabriel’s wife.
Joshua Hornett: Abigail’s youngest son.
Mary Hornett: Joshua’s wife. Her real name is Sarah.
Patrick Darrow: Works for the Hornetts.
Chester Billings: Works for the Hornetts.
(hide spoiler)]

Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Lily was murdered by the Hornetts because they were looking for Noah who had stolen a delivery of prime marijuana from them, worth over $3 million. They wanted the baby to use as leverage to get Noah to return the money. Joshua was the baby’s father.

Seth was involved in the smuggling operation. He betrayed Jenny by putting a tracking device in the cooler used to transport Waaboo.

Aaron was murdered by the Hornetts.

Mary/Sarah gave birth to a son, Adam. He was murdered by the Hornetts because he had Down’s syndrome.

Jenny adopted Waaboo, officially named Aaron Smalldog O’Connor. (hide spoiler)]