Sulfur Springs

Former sheriff Cork O’Connor, Edgar-winner Krueger’s tragedy-plagued hero, faces further heartache in his moving and suspenseful 16th outing (after 2016’s Manitou Canyon). Cork, who lost his father and his first wife to violence, is in bed with his second wife, Rainy Bisonette, a Native American healer, one night in Aurora, Minn., when Rainy retrieves a disturbing voicemail from her son Peter, who’s been living in Arizona. Peter has turned his troubled life around, kicking his drug habit and using the lessons he learned to become a substance abuse counselor. His garbled message, however, seems to indicate that he has killed someone named Rodriguez. Cork and Rainy race to Arizona, where they’re stunned to learn that Peter left his job more than a year earlier. As they search for Peter, Cork becomes increasingly uneasy about his growing sense that Rainy is hiding something significant from him. As usual, Krueger does a fine job combining distinctive characters with a satisfying plot. [em]Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates. (Aug.) [/em]