DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

crets. To complicate matters further, Alex Kingbird’s
younger brother, Ulysses, is a close friend of Cork’s
daughter. Can he keep her out of this?
Cork’s persona has been carefully developed
during the earlier 7 books in this series. And now Cork has
become a complex character with strong principles and a
lot of empathy with the Indians. He is a devoted family
man, though his work routinely takes him into dangerous
situations and often puts his own family in danger. For
example, he and son Steve get shot at as a warning to drop
this case. Now his daughter Annie’s relationship with
Ulysses Kingbird, who is withdrawn and just wants to play
guitar, is potentially dangerous too. And he and his wife
often disagree about his work. To save his family, he has
had to bend rules and his lawyer wife disapproves of this.
But, along the way, Cork has also developed a lot of
respect for the Indian ways, which don’t always mesh with
white justice.
This particular case also illustrates ways in which
crime and Native American culture can get intertwined.
A returned vet has become a drunkard, since he still does
not have a place in the white world. Some young Indians
are ready to make money any way they can, even drug
dealing, for the reservation is very poor and has no work.
Will Kingbird, father of Alex and Ulysses, is a tough,
demanding father who seems successful, though he has his
own dark secrets.
RED KNIFE is chock full of exciting action, the
identity of the killer is a surprise, and the ending scene is
an absolute stunner. At first the ending is so surprising the
reader may think it comes out of left field. But the setup
is there, and the reader has been shown the psychological
and sociological problems existing on and off the reservation
that could lead to such an incident.
Krueger does an outstanding job recreating the
dramatic scenery of upper Michigan, the crime is properly
puzzling, the characters are colorful, and the complexities
of life on an Indian reservation for both Cork and the
Ojibwe are perceptively discussed. Definitely recommended.
GIRL OF HIS DREAMS by Donna Leon. (Grove/
Atlantic, $24.00, May 2008). Rating B+ The very
delightful Venetian Commissario, Guido Brunetti, has a
couple of troubling cases on his desk. First, Father Atonin,
who had just blessed the grave of Brunetti’s mother, asks
him to investigate the charismatic leader of a local offbeat
cult, Brother Leonardo. It seems Brother Leonardo frequently
asks for money from his followers, even encouraging
them to sell their homes for the requested donation.
This setup does look fishy, but Brunetti thinks something is
a little odd about Father Antonin too, and he’s inclined to
check them both out. However, Brunetti is primarily upset
about his second case. A young girl, maybe 10, is found
drowned in the canal. She is clutching some small items,
probably stolen. But he is shocked when the doctor tells
him she also has gonorrhea. And he is very puzzled when
no one reports her missing.
Reviews
Deadly Pleasures
39
The inquiry into the suspect priests means that
Brunetti has to call in lots of favors from his wide circle of
friends and even ask his wife to go undercover. Networking
is a big part of Venetian police work. Of course, the
search for a possible criminal cleric also gives Brunetti the
opportunity to verbally attack many religious institutions
and procedures. Though the tone is gentle, the sarcasm
is sharp.
The investigation of the more poignant case of the
young girl leads to a frightening confrontation at a Rom
(Gypsy) camp, where the Rom not only antagonize the
cops, but they also seem to care nothing for the young girl.
Naturally, Brunetti realizes the Rom rarely reveal the truth
about anything to the authorities, but he is still angry. Of
course, like the rest of the force, he has attended enforced
seminars on political correctness when dealing with minorities.
But he still uses this opportunity to make some
scathing comments about it. Basically, Brunetti wants
justice, and he is not afraid to break a few rules and upset
superiors to get it.
Some of Leon’s recurring characters are beguiling.
Within the police department, the enchanting Signorina
Ellectra , secretary to the chief, can break into any
data base and has many powerful contacts. She is like a
spider at the center of her web- controlling everything.
Fortunately, she and Brunetti like and respect one another,
and she is often his secret weapon. However,
Brunetti’s real love is not the police department. His true
passions are his beautiful wife and her fabulous cooking,
his two precocious children, and his beloved Venice.
Though there is not a lot of suspenseful action, this
is an entertaining read because of the charming Brunetti,
the vividly described byways of Venice, some eccentric
Venetians, and his always ironic comments about life in
general.
DEATH’S HALF ACRE by Margaret Maron.
(Grand Central Publishing,
$24.99,
August 2008). Rating
B When
Colleton County
Commissioner
Candace Bradshaw
is found murdered,
people are shocked,
but not surprised.
Sexy, ambitious
Candy was an aggressivebusinesswoman,
even
though she came
from a “trailer
trash” background.
She was also a powerful,
maybe corrupt
commissioner
who could charm