I hesitate to use the term, but no other will do. There is a certain reliable charm that one encounters when cracking the binding on a new Cork O’Connor novel.

William Kent Krueger’s ex-law enforcement officer has changed a bit here and evolved there since his introduction in IRON LAKE almost two decades ago. While Krueger has consistently demonstrated an inability to write badly, Cork’s life has had its ups and downs. A quietly troubled but cautiously optimistic part-time private investigator of complicated but fascinating heritage, Cork is continuously drawn into the assistance of the problems of less fortunate others. One would think that the geographical setting --- deep in the backwoods of rural Minnesota --- would not lend itself well to a long-running series, yet Krueger never seems to run out of fresh ideas and situations through which to run his quietly intrepid protagonist while slowly but steadily advancing Cork’s professional and personal life.

"Those encountering Krueger and his protagonist for the first time here will find it extremely easy to slip into Cork O’Connor’s world, even with the change of scenery, given the author’s masterful ability to summarize and provide just enough information as to what has gone before."

All of this brings us to SULFUR SPRINGS, Krueger’s latest installment in the series. Having recently married his long-time love interest, Rainy Bisonette, Cork is settling with her into the new facet of their relationship as the book opens. Things do not stay blissful for long, though, as Rainy soon receives a garbled cell phone call from her son Peter, a recovering addict. Peter has had more than his share of problems but had seemingly conquered his demons at a high-end rehab center in southern Arizona. He had subsequently obtained employment working as a counselor at the same facility that helped him. From what Rainy can tell from his almost inaudible phone call, Peter appears to be in serious trouble. When Rainy is unable to reach him, she and Cork drop everything, trading the verdant coolness of rural Minnesota for the harsh desert of Arizona.

Their first stop is Cadiz, where the treatment center is located. Cork and Rainy are shocked when they are told that Peter had been separated from the facility six months previously after apparently relapsing. Things go from bad to worse when they make their way to Sulfur Springs, a tiny desert town where Peter had been receiving his mail. No one there will acknowledge knowing him, a state of affairs that raises Cork’s suspicions, given that Sulfur Springs has a very small population. He quickly discovers that there may be other reasons to be wary.

Gilberto Mondragón, Rainy’s ex-husband --- and Peter’s father --- is soon brought into the mix, and it is obvious that his concern for his son gives him an opportunity to demonstrate that he has feelings for his former wife. Cork and Berto could not be more different, given that Berto is a known criminal who is capable of selling anything illegal and making a fine life doing it. It seems that Peter has been caught in a crossfire of varying interests, including but not limited to drug runners, vigilantes, and the runners --- coyotes --- who fleece and endanger illegal immigrants for profit. Cork finds himself adrift in a hostile environment, unsure of who he can trust, as the alliances around him shift. All the while, he, Rainy and the taciturn --- and dangerous --- Berto attempt to find Peter in a harsh desert that gives up its secrets reluctantly, if at all.

Krueger is remarkable in SULFUR SPRINGS. Those who have followed the series from the beginning or jumped on later and caught up will appreciate how he accomplishes the difficult, book after book, and makes it look easy. Those encountering Krueger and his protagonist for the first time here will find it extremely easy to slip into Cork O’Connor’s world, even with the change of scenery, given the author’s masterful ability to summarize and provide just enough information as to what has gone before. This is yet another intriguing book from an author who never disappoints and whose every effort is worth your time and currency.