Attempt

Cork O’Connor’s father, Liam, was “a good man in a hard job.” The latest novel in Krueger’s accomplished series set in the North Woods of Minnesota returns to 1963 and an investigation when Cork was 12 and his father was sheriff of Tamarack County. The reminiscing is the older Cork’s attempt “to unravel the mystery that had been his father.” The case involves Big John, a “handsome and sad and solitary” man whom the young Cork discovers hanging from “the burned remains of a large log construction” that was once a sacred site for the Ojibwe. It’s during this first time working with his father that Cork learns “a tremendous sense of responsibility for finding the truth.” This expertly crafted mystery has the North Woods, its people and their legacies at its tender heart.

Not for the faint of heart, Anthony Burgess’ dystopian novel is set in the not-too-distant future and centers on an extremely violent youth culture and the attempts by the state to control them.

Elton John doesn’t hold anything back in his autobiography. Born Reginald Dwight, he tells of growing up as a shy boy in the London suburbs to early music struggles with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin to becoming a global superstar. Truly living the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, he spills it all, from his suicide attempt to befriending Princess Diana to finally conquering his addiction. It’s easy to see why he has always attracted the spotlight. $14.99, amazon.com