The novel opens beautifully with Cork reminiscing on a bench beneath the courthouse clock that stopped when a bullet from gunfire that killed his father decades ago lodged in it. With the author's suspenseful measured pacing, his accomplished prose and his carefully crafted plot, Lightning Strike is Cork's creation story, his rite of passage to adulthood ... the wisdom Liam seeds to Cork is compelling and complicated, and I'm so glad the author decided to share it with us.
Lightning Strike has a multifaceted mystery at its core but is essentially a vibrant coming-of-age novel. While it is not necessary to have read any of the previous Cork O’Connor books, those who have will find this “child is father to the man” story indispensable in providing a new understanding to what has been told before and what will happen later in the series ... One can only hope that Lightning Strike will be just the first of many forays into Cork O’Connor’s past.
Lightning Strike is a brilliantly plotted, deeply emotional mystery that opens strong, building more intensity with each passing page. This is William Kent Krueger at his best, and the perfect spot for new readers to enter the series.
[I]n Lightning Strike, Krueger uses the lyrical writing of his stand-alone books in a Cork O’Connor prequel that is both a series mystery and an independent book — and, most likely, another best-seller ... Lightning Strike explores the tender relationship between father and son. It is written with grace and understanding. It is a stunning novel that will captivate readers even if they’ve never read a Cork O’Connor mystery.
With the author's suspenseful measured pacing, his accomplished prose and his carefully crafted plot, Lightning Strike is Cork's creation story, his rite of passage to adulthood, unfolding during an investigation that 'threatened the peace in the Connor household.
